Milka ad casting call - awful

[Dippypippy1980]

I have just red the really creepy casting call for a little girl to advertise milka chocolate.

While there is lots and lots wrong with the call, I am outraged by the no red hair. I have red hair, so does my daughter. We will now be boycotting* this product.

But it has got me wondering, why are unkind comments about red heads still a thing? I endured nasty comments through my childhood, and within the last decade distance myself from a friend who was making nasty comments about a friends baby with red hair. What the hell is wrong with people.

Why do people who would be (quite rightly) outraged by comments about skin colour think it’s okay to target people because of hair colour?

Ewwww that ad sounds more like a paedophiles wish list than a casting call.

Horrible. I would seriously be have issues trusting someone who would put their daughter forward for this.

I wonder if it's a direct translation. Milka is a Swiss company isn't it? Sometimes direct translations can come across a bit strangely or sound stilted or not quite right to our ears because of the different way words or sentences are used and structured in their language - sure there's a proper term for this but I don't know it

If not, it's nauseating. Personally I think it's ok to say no red hair. Then I think would it be ok to say no ethnic hair or appearance so 🤷‍♀️

So many people getting upset about prejudice towards red haired children, and yet in three pages of posts only two have even considered the possibility that there may be any combination of colouring other than blonde, brunette or red hair with white skin

To be fair to the manufacturers they are saying this is unacceptable to them, it's the casting agency who issued it. It's doubtful they read the casting call before it was issued. Normally you brief and the agency gets on with it. So I'm not sure it's fair to boycott the manufacturer.

Is that even legit? That's awful and anyone even considering putting their daughter up for this off the back of this advert is wrong.

It almost reads as though it was the spec the casting agents have to the person who writes the casting call adverts. And then looks like they have copied and pasted it literally, fucking up spectacularly in the process.

However YABU to boycott a product based on the casting call advert, simply because it directly affects you (red hair) when previously you would not have been offended. That is the nature of advertising. She be a cruel beast.

I'd be astonished if it was written by a woman

Be astonished then Kettle. The casting director has been named and shamed and deleted HER Twitter feed.

Ew so much wrong with that ad.

Is that even legit? That's awful and anyone even considering putting their daughter up for this off the back of this advert is wrong

Yet thousands of children were put forward for the Milky Bar Kid, and Harry Potter, and every other stereotype the media tells us is attractive.

And I'd put money on the Milka kid not being a person of colour, because they don't fit the stereotype.

Get mad at the advertising industry that continually pushes this narrow image of what is good and normal.

The ad is creepy AF. It genuinely sounds like it's been written by a man who probably needs his hard drive confiscating

It was a woman casting director.

I'm a redhead, we'll still eat Milka chocolate.

It is badly worded, but it's not unusual for directors to have a very specific idea of the actor in mind when they cast. I know someone who has done some work in this area and it can be creepy when you walk into a room of very similar looking people!

Leaving the red haired issue aside, what kind of weird 9-11 year old's favourite song is Heroes by David Bowie?!

Horrid, creepy spec, most likely written by a 40-50 something single bloke based on what they think the perfect child is like. Ugh.

She's not being U to boycott a brand for whatever reason she fancies, it's not a crime not to buy a particular brand of choc!

A propos of nothing, wen I was living in Germany about twenty years ago there was a court case brought against the Milky Bar people because they refused to audition a mixed-race lad.

Just seen above the casting director was a women! Wonders will never cease!

It’s a very odd casting call. Is it definitely real? It’s written in a very odd style, I agree it sounds like it’s been badly translated or something

I think it's okay to say what they're looking for physically. It's modeling ffs. They are not looking for anything that doesn't go beyond skin deep. I agree that they may have another character lined up who has red hair. Otherwise, I think the way it is written is kind of creepy..

I;m surprised people are surprised

@WorraLiberty very realistic that she'll likely only get a couple hundred pounds (and interest rates are pants) and won't become world famous

As a red head myself i thought lilac was one fo the few colours we could wear

I wear lilac! I wear most colours. It’s a very old fashioned view that we can’t wear certain colours. Some shades yes for some people, but I don’t think there are any colours which are off limits!!

I am sure you look amazing in lilac.

This doesn't read like any casting call ive ever seen before. They are usually much more sussinct. Havent rtft admittedly but not sure it is legit?

It’s really badly written, but as a parent of a red head DD who dabbled in child modelling I’m still on the e mail distribution list of her old agency and see casting calls every week asking for very specific looks for campaigns. DD is strawberry blonde with blue eyes - she was in huge demand, we had to stop because of the impact on her schooling and my work. This brief should not have been published but it’s not unusual for companies to want a very specific look.

As an aside, and a redhead, I have seen lilac worn fabulously by redheads. Very suprised this was written by a woman though.

So you are not bothered by the height requirement, the ad being for a girl only, not having reached puberty, but you are about hair?

Very odd
The writing is off and also probably badly translated