This University Thought Nobody Would Notice They Made White Students Black, Then Someone Found The Original Pic
If you haven’t noticed the marketing shift in companies to capitalize on diversity you must be living in a bubble, but for educational institutions, this strategy is nothing new. Take a look at the majority of college brochures and you’ll see a cultural rainbow of peers, proudly pedaling an inclusive campus, however, the reality is sometimes a stark contrast.
Well, the French art school Émile Cohl in Lyon, decided to follow a “fake it till you make it” diversity campaign strategy to pull in prospective U.S students. In a promo photo on the American version of their school’s website the designers digitally added melanin to current white student’s faces and when this wasn’t enough took it a step further and manipulated the image to add two more black people to the group. A current student shared the ridiculous advertisement photo in a private group for students, which was then turned into a side by side photomontage by former student Kelsi Phung and posted to Twitter.
The viral tweet forced the art school to release an apology, blaming the U.S communications company they had hired.”The communication company decided on its own to darken the skin of some students to add diversity,” the assistant director of the art school, Emmanuel Perrier, told CNN. “The communication campaign was made from the US.”
Since the controversy, the site has been shut down and the contract with the communications company has been terminated. Émile Cohl hopes to salvage their reputation and continue their plan to open their Los Angeles branch in the next four years.
Scroll down below to see the horribly photoshopped photos and tell us your thoughts!
These are students at the Émile Cohl art school in Lyon, France
And here are the same students, but as someone noticed, they are joined by some new unfamiliar faces
On the school’s U.S website some of the student’s were slightly more melanated than before
While some were completely photoshopped out and replaced
Another student’s darker body double
There were six alterations overall
Needless to say, people were not happy
The 3 guys in the back have they're backs turned to the camera. That was the first thing I noticed.
If people of colour are not applying for certain courses, they must have alternate avenues to explore - why on earth pretend and make things up
Load More Replies...This French school want to open a branch in L.A. and its Californian communication agency photoshopped the pic for the promotion of the school in L.A. The school stopped its cooperation with this agency. The question is how the hell they hired a communication agency with this poor abilities with photoshop? And concerning the agency, I have no idea what they had in mind and who thought no one would notice?
When will the world stop seeing human being from what colour their skin are.. Huft...
Best comment here so far. Seriously. Whether one is racist or anti-racist, as long as it's about skin colour, they're still part of the problem. We're just all humans. Just like some people are blonde, others have brown hair, and all the colours of the rainbow, so do some people have light/dark skin, different eye and jawbone shapes etc. "Race" should only be about aesthetics, not politics. Would be wonderful to live in a world like that.
Load More Replies...Unpopular opinion incomming, but are we really heading to a society where schools and jobs must be filled according to "diversity quotas". People immediatly attack the school for not accepting enough black studens, but nobody seems to wonder if there are even black applicants. Is it really the schools responsibility to make themselves appealing to them? Try as they might, if there aren't alot of black artists in this schools area, you won't have alot of black students.
You are actually not wrong. Many employers have to hire taking diversity in consideration. I remember I had an information session for a place I worked at years ago and this is what the HR person said: If 2 people apply for the same job, 1 white man and 1 minority, they both have the same credentials and both get the same passing mark on their test. The minority will get the job because of those "quotas".
Load More Replies...Given that the 2nd shot had 3 people turned around and one person moved to resting her head on someone else shoulder, I think the second shot is a prank, not a marketing ploy.
I think it was the obligatory funny pose shot and they chose that one to edit to show that they're diverse and have fun.
Load More Replies...To all of the comments that say it's not racist that a European class is mostly white people: I don't think that's the issue here. I'm an 8th grader in one of the least culturally diverse places in the US, and it's not uncommon at my school for there to be only one black kid in a class, and lots of times there aren't any. I think we need more info to judge if this is racist....If the school is intentionally declining black students, then that's racist. If they accept anyone who meets their standards and just felt that they would be judged for a lack of black students who live in their area, then that's just sad.
in my small town in the 1960's we had no coloured people until one day a coloured family arrived. They were so special that we all wanted to be friends with them . I wish times were like that still
Load More Replies...Did anyone else notice that they changed to males in the front to look like there about to kiss
You're right! They also changed the two guys at the front who are hugging to a more intimate hug. And they changed the blonde girl in the red shirt on the right side of the picture to lean on the shoulder of the girl next to her.
Load More Replies...so what if black/African Americans don't WANT to go to an art school in France? We have to fabricate it now? You also don't see a lot of brown people on the slopes or on sailboats. Their interests lie elsewhere. Do we have to insert them where they obviously don't want to be?
Or advertise the school on it's own merit and get rid of false incentives to aid a particular group over another...base it on performance and throw the rest out...don't identify as a sex or race...it shouldn't matter......unless you are trying to skew things for your own purpose...
don't blame them, if they released the original photo they'd be called racist for not having enough black students. Everything is racist now.
If ppl think this is photoshopped and jump on the wagon to call out racist; it's really a sad day because their observation skill sucks. In addition to the so called darken photoshopped, some other ppl in the picture has an entirely different poses with some have their back turned. It think this is a campaign to see how many idiots will jump on the "racist" wagon. I don't know "shrugged off"
not that it's the main point, but why did they turn those guys round at the back? looks like they're pissing on that picture...
There are some big changes in body position at the front too. Maybe they used photoshop on an different but similar picture taken one or two seconds before or after.
Load More Replies...I have been in one art school in france and they were not black student, and my oldest daughter too and the same phenomenon.
People who want to succeed need to follow their dreams with strength. Being influenced by last year's class picture is just stupid. Just marketing. Do you want to consume only Coca Cola and Big Macs your whole life? Ok for you, but this posting is WEAK!!!! THINK!!! THINK!!!! BE AWARE!!!....or die
Instead of doing what the rest of the world does when targeting a specific demographic - delving into the wonderful world of stock footage - they thought they would appeal to the demographic diversity of a new clientele by, uhm, doctoring up their existing French student body to "match" their perceived notion of what a California school would possibly look like. They weren't being racist, they were doing inclusive target marketing in the least competent manner. A better idea would have been to show the existing student body as is, to prove they had expertise, and then used stock footage of young creatives to show what skills they were teaching. This could be you, versus This is what is.
Why always the hate people? Boy, don't you think beyond your own noses? Why would they promote diversity if then DIDN'T WANT it? That makes no sense! The more sensible reason for these fotos is, that they wanted to show diversity but just had no dark students AT THAT TIME.
Why does a country in Europe, a continent with predominately Caucasian population, have to fake diversity like this?
France is a country based on immigration. Each time we needed workforce since the Industrialisation, we organised emigration. From Europe first (Poland, Italy). For the Recontruction after WW2, we organised migration from our colonies in Maghreb and Africa. We welcolmed politic refugees from the dictatorships in Spain or Portugal. We tricked chinese workers to work in our factories during WW1, we welcolmed Boat people from Vietnam or Cambodgia... The only fake things is to believe that France has no diversity.
Load More Replies...funny te see that a country who has been on who give lesson to america about racism (many us black soldier in WW1 and WW2 says they were better treated in France than in they own country) has to do that today
Except this is the californian communication agency promoting the futur opening a branch in LA that photshoped the pic for its communication....
Load More Replies...The 3 guys in the back have they're backs turned to the camera. That was the first thing I noticed.
If people of colour are not applying for certain courses, they must have alternate avenues to explore - why on earth pretend and make things up
Load More Replies...This French school want to open a branch in L.A. and its Californian communication agency photoshopped the pic for the promotion of the school in L.A. The school stopped its cooperation with this agency. The question is how the hell they hired a communication agency with this poor abilities with photoshop? And concerning the agency, I have no idea what they had in mind and who thought no one would notice?
When will the world stop seeing human being from what colour their skin are.. Huft...
Best comment here so far. Seriously. Whether one is racist or anti-racist, as long as it's about skin colour, they're still part of the problem. We're just all humans. Just like some people are blonde, others have brown hair, and all the colours of the rainbow, so do some people have light/dark skin, different eye and jawbone shapes etc. "Race" should only be about aesthetics, not politics. Would be wonderful to live in a world like that.
Load More Replies...Unpopular opinion incomming, but are we really heading to a society where schools and jobs must be filled according to "diversity quotas". People immediatly attack the school for not accepting enough black studens, but nobody seems to wonder if there are even black applicants. Is it really the schools responsibility to make themselves appealing to them? Try as they might, if there aren't alot of black artists in this schools area, you won't have alot of black students.
You are actually not wrong. Many employers have to hire taking diversity in consideration. I remember I had an information session for a place I worked at years ago and this is what the HR person said: If 2 people apply for the same job, 1 white man and 1 minority, they both have the same credentials and both get the same passing mark on their test. The minority will get the job because of those "quotas".
Load More Replies...Given that the 2nd shot had 3 people turned around and one person moved to resting her head on someone else shoulder, I think the second shot is a prank, not a marketing ploy.
I think it was the obligatory funny pose shot and they chose that one to edit to show that they're diverse and have fun.
Load More Replies...To all of the comments that say it's not racist that a European class is mostly white people: I don't think that's the issue here. I'm an 8th grader in one of the least culturally diverse places in the US, and it's not uncommon at my school for there to be only one black kid in a class, and lots of times there aren't any. I think we need more info to judge if this is racist....If the school is intentionally declining black students, then that's racist. If they accept anyone who meets their standards and just felt that they would be judged for a lack of black students who live in their area, then that's just sad.
in my small town in the 1960's we had no coloured people until one day a coloured family arrived. They were so special that we all wanted to be friends with them . I wish times were like that still
Load More Replies...Did anyone else notice that they changed to males in the front to look like there about to kiss
You're right! They also changed the two guys at the front who are hugging to a more intimate hug. And they changed the blonde girl in the red shirt on the right side of the picture to lean on the shoulder of the girl next to her.
Load More Replies...so what if black/African Americans don't WANT to go to an art school in France? We have to fabricate it now? You also don't see a lot of brown people on the slopes or on sailboats. Their interests lie elsewhere. Do we have to insert them where they obviously don't want to be?
Or advertise the school on it's own merit and get rid of false incentives to aid a particular group over another...base it on performance and throw the rest out...don't identify as a sex or race...it shouldn't matter......unless you are trying to skew things for your own purpose...
don't blame them, if they released the original photo they'd be called racist for not having enough black students. Everything is racist now.
If ppl think this is photoshopped and jump on the wagon to call out racist; it's really a sad day because their observation skill sucks. In addition to the so called darken photoshopped, some other ppl in the picture has an entirely different poses with some have their back turned. It think this is a campaign to see how many idiots will jump on the "racist" wagon. I don't know "shrugged off"
not that it's the main point, but why did they turn those guys round at the back? looks like they're pissing on that picture...
There are some big changes in body position at the front too. Maybe they used photoshop on an different but similar picture taken one or two seconds before or after.
Load More Replies...I have been in one art school in france and they were not black student, and my oldest daughter too and the same phenomenon.
People who want to succeed need to follow their dreams with strength. Being influenced by last year's class picture is just stupid. Just marketing. Do you want to consume only Coca Cola and Big Macs your whole life? Ok for you, but this posting is WEAK!!!! THINK!!! THINK!!!! BE AWARE!!!....or die
Instead of doing what the rest of the world does when targeting a specific demographic - delving into the wonderful world of stock footage - they thought they would appeal to the demographic diversity of a new clientele by, uhm, doctoring up their existing French student body to "match" their perceived notion of what a California school would possibly look like. They weren't being racist, they were doing inclusive target marketing in the least competent manner. A better idea would have been to show the existing student body as is, to prove they had expertise, and then used stock footage of young creatives to show what skills they were teaching. This could be you, versus This is what is.
Why always the hate people? Boy, don't you think beyond your own noses? Why would they promote diversity if then DIDN'T WANT it? That makes no sense! The more sensible reason for these fotos is, that they wanted to show diversity but just had no dark students AT THAT TIME.
Why does a country in Europe, a continent with predominately Caucasian population, have to fake diversity like this?
France is a country based on immigration. Each time we needed workforce since the Industrialisation, we organised emigration. From Europe first (Poland, Italy). For the Recontruction after WW2, we organised migration from our colonies in Maghreb and Africa. We welcolmed politic refugees from the dictatorships in Spain or Portugal. We tricked chinese workers to work in our factories during WW1, we welcolmed Boat people from Vietnam or Cambodgia... The only fake things is to believe that France has no diversity.
Load More Replies...funny te see that a country who has been on who give lesson to america about racism (many us black soldier in WW1 and WW2 says they were better treated in France than in they own country) has to do that today
Except this is the californian communication agency promoting the futur opening a branch in LA that photshoped the pic for its communication....
Load More Replies...
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