Affiliation of Author, Researcher, or Creator
School of Communication
Department
Marketing Communication
Author(s)
Roxana D. Maiorescu-Murphy
Resource Type
Article
Publication, Publisher or Distributor
Public Relations Review
Publication Date
11-1-2021
Brief Description
By analyzing the online social construction of Christian Dior’s 2019 Sauvage ad, the present study contributes to the literature on public relations and diversity from the perspective of cultural appropriation, a research line that has remained unexplored. The study builds on Coombs and Tachkova’s (2018) recommendation for a theoretical and practical delineation between crises related to products, services and operations, and scandals (crises that spur moral outrage). The results reveal that the online users’ perceptions of cultural appropriation require communicative approaches that differ from previously employed crisis communication practices. A primary and secondary type of moral outrage were found to thrive in the aftermath of the scandal. The foundation of the primary moral outrage constituted perceived injustice, exploitation, and controllability, as users attributed a high level of responsibility for a corporate scandal they deemed preventable. The secondary type of moral outrage revealed the users’ concern about injustice, referred to as double standards vis-à-vis the cultural appropriation of ethnic groups that had not been historically marginalized. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Keywords
business communication, public relations, cultural appropriation, corporations, Christian Dior
Recommended Citation
Maiorescu-Murphy, R. D. (2021). “We are the land:” An analysis of cultural appropriation and moral outrage in response to Christian Dior’s Sauvage scandal. Public Relations Review, 47(4), 102058.
Preferred Citation Style
APA
Peer Reviewed
1
License Agreement
1
Included in
Advertising and Promotion Management Commons, Business and Corporate Communications Commons