This Shampoo for ‘Suicidal Hair’ Is Making People Upset
A cosmetics company is in some hot water for being insensitive when it comes to suicide.
The U.K. company Anatomicals sells a conditioning shampoo called Peachy Head, which is described on the bottle as “peach shampoo for suicidal hair.” As if that weren’t bad enough, the product description on Anatomicals’ website goes one step further, posting an imaginary comment from a person who might use the product: “Well, I knew it was feeling a little off color, but I just put that down to the bad dye job. I never knew my once beautiful hair would actually commit suicide by tossing itself off dramatic white cliffs to the rocks below. Now look at me, completely bald.”
Related: 5 Things Not to Say to Someone Who Is Suicidal — And What to Say Instead
The product promises to “bring your locks back from a state of complete depression.”
The shampoo has people in a lather, with several sending angry tweets to the company and Urban Outfitters, which sold the shampoo. Twitter user @samatlounge called it “shameful and hugely irresponsible.”
Twitter user @samatlounge is concerned about the message on the bottle. (Photo: Twitter)
Another user @matthaig1 wrote: “What [sic] next @urbanoutfitters? Cancer conditioner? Alzheimer’s aftershave? Suicide is not hip. Or a fashion choice.”
After receiving several angry tweets, Urban Outfitters responded, saying it would pull the product from store shelves immediately.
Twitter user @matthaig1 say the product goes too far. (Photo: Twitter)
However, Paul Marshall, the co-founder of Anatomicals, told The Huffington Post U.K. that they were just trying to be funny, even though few people seem to be laughing. “We are naturally concerned if any of our bath and body items cause offense, as this is never our intention,” he said. “However, we are an irreverent, fun brand with a sense of humor — something the world is often lacking in. This product is so obviously a tongue-in-cheek reference to hair and refers only to hair.”
Related: Ronda Rousey: I Had Thoughts of Suicide After Holm Fight
He added: “Every day of every year, millions of people have a ‘bad hair’ day. They may feel like putting on a hat or even in extreme cases, chopping it off and going for a sleek bob. Never do they feel like killing themselves, although they may feel like killing their hairdresser. That’s not to say we fail to recognize that suicide, and particularly teenage suicide, is a growing problem and we would never wish to be seen as making light of it.”
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