For those who have trouble reading between the lines, Nivea offers a pretty obvious statement on how African-American men should present themselves.

In a recent ad campaign aimed at getting men to step their grooming game up — Nivea asks men to “Look Like You Give A Damn.” As seen above, Nivea targets African-Americans features and asks men to “re-civilize yourself”. (Apparently the bread and afro are barbaric?)

In addition to the already condescending “look like you give a damn” pitch, the ad also brings in an image of a well-groomed Black man holding what is supposed to be his own head with an Afro and a beard – apparently his “un-civilized” self. O_o

IF this ad doesn’t scream discrimination – I’m not sure what does. Check out Nivea’s response to their “suggestive” marketing after the break:

According to Nivea, Dr. Cornell West – offers a less than civilized look. Do you agree with them?

In response to the ad’s implications, Nivea’s parent company, Beiersdorf USA, emailed a statement to theUrbanDaily.com from Adweek apologizing for the ad:

“We are deeply sorry for a recent ‘Re-civilized’ Nivea For Men ad. This ad was inappropriate and offensive. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values at Beiersdorf and we do not tolerate insensitivity. It was never our intention to offend anyone and for this we are deeply sorry. This ad will never be used again. Beiersdorf, as a company, represents diversity, tolerance and equal opportunity. Direct and indirect discrimination must be ruled out in all decisions and in all areas of the company.“

Do you think they ad was really “unintentional”? Let MSDTV know!