The Hong Kong pop star Denise Ho was cut from a performance by the French cosmetics giant Lancôme Sunday, following criticism from a newspaper run by the Chinese Communist Party. Ho, blacklisted by the Chinese government in 2014, is a well-known advocate for democracy in Hong Kong and has spoken positively of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled leader.
Denise Ho (center-right) with the Dalai Lama on her birthday in March of this year (Facebook).
The singer was scheduled by Lancôme to perform at a sold-out promotional concert on June 19 in Hong Kong. Upon the show’s announcement The Global Times, a party-run, nationalist newspaper, criticized the brand for presenting the pro-democracy leader as its spokeswoman. On Sunday Lancôme, in two separate statements, attested that Ho was not the brand’s spokeswoman and announced the concert’s cancellation citing safety concerns. The singer posted the following message to social media in response to the cancellation:
She concluded her statement by demonstrating that her concern is far greater than just herself: “Should we stop self-censoring out of fear and start respecting ourselves and others based on good honest work—we could all be freer. This is what my statement is about. It is about freedom and justice. Because the reality is that if we opt to stay mute and do nothing, these would all be stripped away from us before we notice.” Denise Ho has been under increased governmental scrutiny since her arrest in Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy protests. She also founded Hong Kong Shield, a protest group of artists, academics, and students.
Denise Ho wears the emblem of Hong Kong Shield while carrying the yellow umbrella symbolic of the city’s struggle for democracy (South China Morning Post).
Lancôme now faces calls for boycott from both Communist nationalists against Ho’s politics and pro-democracy activists angered by the company submitting to political pressure. The brand’s parent company, L’Oréal Paris, has stated that Asia accounts for over a third of the global cosmetics market, with China as “a new market” but Hong Kong a particularly difficult one. Lancôme’s act of censorship has not gone unnoticed, with calls shaming the brand for its treatment of Ho now reaching worldwide. Industry watchers question the effectiveness of the company’s submission to China, which seemingly only increased its bad press. The mouthwash brand Listerine was also criticized for supporting Ho, but she is still featured on their Hong Kong website. L’Oréal Paris and Lancôme Hong Kong refused to make any further comment.