A Zara campaign featuring a model with freckles has sparked debate on social media in China, with some users describing the photos as "ugly".
The Chinese model in the campaign is 25-year-old Li Jingwen, known professionally as Jing Wen.
On 15 February, Spanish high street retailer Zara shared a series of photos of Jing Wen on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
In the photos, Jing Wen models a range of lipsticks from the brand's latest makeup collection.
While some have praised Zara for not concealing Jing Wen's natural freckles with makeup, others have criticised the brand, stating that the retailer is playing up to "the stereotype of the appearance of Asians in Europe and America".
"Sorry, we Asian women do not have freckles," one person commented on Weibo.
"This advertisement is really a failure," another added.
Someone else questioned why there's no concealer or foundation on Jing Wen's face, writing: "I really want to powder the model."
Others have jumped to the defence of the campaign, condemning the critical comments as "shameful".
"Everyone's understanding of beauty is different," one person wrote. "In my opinion, Li Jingwen, who has freckles on her face, is really beautiful."
Another person added that the comments underneath the photos are examples of "racial discrimination".
Chinese video streaming platform Pear Video interviewed a representative from Zara about the photos.
A spokesperson from the retailer explained that the campaign featuring Jing Wen had been targeted at the brand's global market, as opposed to solely its customers in China.
"The aesthetics of the Spanish people are different," they said.
"Our models are all photographed purely, the pictures aren't changed, and they're not modified."
They added that Jing Wen had not had her face digitally altered, but had been "photographed naturally".
Jing Wen has spoken about her freckles in the past, telling Vogue in October 2016 that she used to feel insecure about them.
“When I was little, I really hated them because normally Asians don’t have them,” she said.
“In high school, I always tried to cover them, but now it’s okay. I like them, and that’s enough.”
Jing Wen was named one of the Top 50 models in the fashion industry by models.com in 2017.
She has previously modelled for Prada, in addition to being featured on the covers of publications such as Vogue Italia and Vogue China.
