We asked Native American women to guess the names of the products in MAC'S new "Vibe Tribe" line, based on the colors and packaging.
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MAC has been receiving a lot of backlash lately for their new line, "Vibe Tribe," whose colors and names are evocative of Southwestern Native American tribes and cultures.
First up, we showed the women this product:
The ladies were really picking up on the "rose" theme.
The blush is actually called "Painted Canyon." Our ladies were quick to point out that the similarity to the Painted Desert, which is in the Navajo Nation.
Next up was this bold lipstick.
The women were honest...
Because MAC is really on a roll...they named this "Painted Sunset."
This palette was next. And by this point everyone was thinking it was called "painted something."
The ladies were starting to make fun of the experience too...
...But when they found out that it was called "Dunes at Dusk," they were quick to point out that while the name itself sounds kind of "generic," when you consider the product as a whole, including the colors of the makeup, the packaging and the name, it does evoke Southwestern Native tribal cultures.
Moving on to this...which is literally called ADOBE BRICK.
UM.
ALSO, Adobe is a "common building material...amongst other uses that has been used by the Native peoples for generations."
This last product really threw everyone for a loop.
The guesses made sense for the light, pink color of the lipstick.
And everyone was shocked when they learned that the lipstick is called "ARROWHEAD."
To wrap things up, the ladies talked about their overall response to seeing these products and this line.
They definitely had some concerns.
Regarding MAC'S claims that the packaging was not inspired by anything Native American, the women were quick to remind us that "if you visit any Native American Art museum or festival, you'll see these exact designs repeated over and over."
Native American pattern rug.
Native American ornament seamless pattern.