Swatch apologized and pulled an ad featuring a model pulling the outside corners of his eyes, after accusations of racism and calls for a boycott on Chinese social media.
The pose mimicked a slanted eye look, sparking an uproar on Chinese social platforms. Some netizens criticized it as "racially discriminatory," and the ad was quickly targeted.
On Aug. 16, Swatch posted on Instagram and Weibo, acknowledging “recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model” in the ads and saying that it had removed the promotional material worldwide.
“We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused,” the company wrote.
Many online users, unhappy with the company’s response, persisted in urging a boycott of Swatch Group brands, including Blancpain, Longines, and Tissot.
On Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, one comment read, “I’ve never bought Swatch before, and I definitely won’t in the future.”
Some escalated the issue to foreign investment, saying, “Global investors should boycott such ‘anti-China’ ads, cut off funding, and demand either reform or elimination.”
Analysts said that due to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) long-term indoctrination through "patriotic education" and public opinion manipulation, some individuals are less able to distinguish normal cultural expressions from genuine discrimination.
“I believe state-backed opinion manipulators are inflaming the issue, turning an ad into a political tool to emphasize CCP ideology and portray China and the West as irreconcilable,” he said.
Yang added that the CCP employs "internet opinion controllers" to manipulate online discourse as a political warning: "If you're pro-West, you'll be punished. That's why, in cases like this, you see uniform calls to 'resolutely boycott' and 'get out of China,' which aren't typical netizen reactions."
Meanwhile, some netizens questioned these emotional responses. One comment stated that viewing “small eyes” as “anti-China” reflects not confidence but insecurity.
Swatch has joined a growing list of brands facing opposition or boycotts over perceived insults to Chinese culture.
In 2021, a Mercedes-Benz ad featuring a model with small eyes was criticized for “uglifying Chinese people.”
Later that year, an ad by the Chinese food company Three Squirrels was accused of “catering to Western aesthetics” due to a model’s small eyes, prompting the model to protest on social media, saying, “I was born with small eyes; I don’t understand what I did wrong.”
In 2023, a Dior makeup ad showed an Asian model pulling the corner of her eye to create a slanted-eye look, which was criticized as “anti-China.”
Also in the same year, a promotional image of an Apple China customer service representative with small eyes and a braid was questioned for “uglifying Chinese people,” trending online—though it was later confirmed the model was Native American.
Lu Ning, a Chinese scholar, said these cases are an example of the CCP’s tendency to stoke nationalist fervor to divert attention from social issues.
“China’s economy is declining, and unemployment is severe, but the CCP needs new outlets to vent this anger,” he said. “When netizens’ outrage is channeled toward ‘national dignity,’ this is exactly the outcome the authorities want.”
Yang said such nationalism hasn’t genuinely boosted China’s societal confidence but has made its market increasingly uncertain.
“Foreign companies must worry not only about product quality and pricing but also about whether an ad or photo might touch the so-called ‘national nerve.’ This risk will eventually scare off more foreign investment,” he said.