Company called racist for naming beige-colored paint 'skin color'
theGRIO REPORT - A paint company has reportedly used the term "skin color" to label beige-colored paint produced by the company...
A paint company has reportedly used the term “skin color” to label beige-colored paint.
Now, a Swedish teenager has filed a complaint against the paint producer arguing that the description is racist and discriminatory.
“By renaming beige to skin color they show that there is a whiteness norm in society,” 14-year-old Thyra, whose last name has not been released, told a local newspaper.
“It is completely sick that they just rename beige to skin color when black and brown are also that,” she added.
Thyra reported the paint company, Universal Color and Chemicals, to the country’s Equality Ombudsman –Â a government agency that acts to address discrimination issues and promote equal rights.
According to her father, Thyra was motivated to take action against the paint company by her sister.
“Her little sister has brown skin but according to the paint manufacturer she has no skin color…I think (the company) just looked at themselves and imagined that’s what skin was,” he told the paper.
In light of the news, Thyra has gained the support of many and the case has helped to launch classroom discussions at her school focused on racism.
Follow Lilly Workneh on Twitter @Lilly_Works
