Cosmetics giant Sephora has apologized for a questionably-named lipstick that sparked outrage from Inclusion BC and other advocates for the disabled.
The response came after the “Celebutard” lipstick, part of reality TV star Kat Von D's makeup line, inspired angry and disappointed blog posts, Facebook comments and multiple Change.org petitions in recent days.
Faith Bodnar of Inclusion BC, a provincial non-profit group dedicated to helping people with developmental disabilities, told CTV News the name choice was disgraceful.
“It should have never been on the shelves to begin with,” said Bodnar. “It’s degrading and there’s no place for it.”
The word is defined on Urban Dictionary as a famous person who’s short on intelligence.
Sephora, which is the exclusive seller of Von D’s “Painted Love” line, issued a statement to CTV News promising that the lipstick has been discontinued.
“It has come to our attention that the name of one shade of lipstick we carry has caused offense to some of our clients and others. We are deeply sorry for that,” it said.
The controversy surrounding the lipstick erupted in the midst of the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign, which aims to make the slur “retard” history.
The group, which previously released a public service announcement starring “Glee” star Jane Lynch, has gathered more than 410,000 online pledges to stop using the word.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Maria Weisgarber
