Controversy Swirls Over Swedish Retailer's Decision to Stock Darker-Toned Bandages
Blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin: If you hear that someone’s Swedish, that’s the stereotypical description that probably comes to mind. But thanks to a growing number of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, the population of the country is beginning to look a bit browner—and that means the light-beige adhesive bandages used to discreetly cover cuts and scrapes have to evolve too.
To that end, last week Swedish retailer Apoteket announced that it hopes to begin selling a more diverse selection of bandages—they’re called “plasters” in Sweden—in its 370 stores. The decision was made after consultation with anti-racism groups in the Nordic country, reported The Local. The goal: ensuring that bandage descriptions such as “flesh-toned” or “skin-colored” no longer refer just to individuals with white skin.
Meeting the needs of that diverse population may seem like a smart decision for Apoteket to make. But the shift to a more inclusive product has sparked controversy since it was first discussed publicly on Sveriges radio last week. Eva Fernvall, Apoteket’s communications director, appeared on a radio program with Paula Dahlberg, the blogger behind the Swedish website Everyday Racism. Dahlberg, who is ethnically Colombian but was adopted by a Swedish family, shared an observation that has been made by darker-skinned people around the world: Whether it’s underwear, bandages, or nude lipstick, items that match the skin tone of fair-skinned people tend to be the default.
"If you take all these little things like plaster, bandage, underwear, tights and toys for children, it constitutes together a great overall picture of us who are not white and who can feel excluded and not be on the same terms,” said Dahlberg in the broadcast.
Immigrants are only about 15 percent of Sweden’s population, but the majority of new arrivals are coming from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, and Somalia—places where folks tend to have darker complexions than the typical Swede has. As the nation has diversified, it’s had to reexamine its culture.
Last fall Swedish television announced several controversial changes to the show Pippi Longstocking Tales. The cartoon program featuring the beloved character would no longer refer to the character’s father as a “Negro king”—he’s just a king now. Pippi would also no longer stretch the skin around her eyes make herself look “Chinese.”
Ellen Trane Norby, Denmark’s minister for children’s affairs and education, complained that making a wider range of bandage colors available was as ridiculous as Sweden’s changes to Pippi Longstocking Tales.
“Who in the world seriously believes that Pippi’s monkey is an affront to people from other parts of the world or that white bandages and plaster are made to annoy people who have darker skin?” Norby wrote on Facebook, according to The Local.
Denmark’s foreign minister, Kristian Jensen, also posted a link to a news story about adding more diverse colors to bandages with the caption, “I'm once again glad I don’t live in Sweden.” Sweden allows in more immigrants than any other nation in the European Union, according to The Local. Outrage across Europe over Jensen’s post led to his issuing an apology on Monday.
What's with the Danes weighing in on what's going on Sweden? Tensions between the two countries are nothing new. “It is unworthy that a foreign minister should speak this way about a neighbouring country. He should apologize to the Swedish people,” said Drude Dahlerup, a Danish professor of political science at Stockholm University, reported Expressen. According to Dahlerup, Danish politicians are seeking to score political points by making Sweden look bad.
As for whether the more diverse bandages will come into being, Fernvall subsequently told The Local that the company had been thinking about adding browner shades prior to her radio appearance with Dahlberg. "We're looking at whether it's possible to have different coloured plasters but we haven't made a final decision on it yet," said Fernvall.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Swedish Fathers to Get an Extra Month of Paid Leave—U.S. Moms and Dads Still Get Zero
• 8 Brilliant Ways Sweden Recycles Its Garbage
• Sweden Is Grading Movies on How Sexist They Are, And Not Everybody Is Happy About It
Original article from TakePart
