7th August, 2022
After an online backlash, Nigerian-American beauty YouTuber, Jackie Aina has withdrawn ‘Soro Soke’ candle from her latest collection.
She and her lifestyle brand Forvr also tendered a public apology on Instagram.
The criticism against Aina sparked Thursday, her birthday, after she unveiled a four-candle set called “The Owambe Collection.” They were named Spice of Life, No wahala, Soft life and Soro Soke.
The candle named “Sòrò Sókè,” a Yoruba term that means, speak louder, attracted criticism, with Jackie accused of being insensitive.
The term was used as a rallying cry against police brutality during the 2020 October EndSARS protest in Nigeria.
One of the critics wrote: “I didn’t quite understand everything regarding Jackie Aina and her using Soro Soke for a candle, until I saw someone say it was the equivalent of someone putting “I can’t breathe” on a candle. It’s unsettling.”
But Jackie has made amends on Instagram.
“As the brand owner of FORVR Mood, I understand our decision has severely hurt members of my Nigerian community with the naming of the candle Sòrò Sókè. We missed the mark on this and it will never happen again,” Aina’s Instagram post read.
“Empowerment and respect is the ethos of FORVR and that was unfortunately not properly conveyed in the naming of the candle.”
“We accept full responsibility and I recognize the gravity of this error,” the statement continued.
The statement added that the candle Sòrò Sókè would be removed from sale and production.
Insider reports that as of Saturday, the Sòrò Sókè candle isn’t listed on the company’s website and the product is no longer available at Sephora.
However, a photo of the candle is still viewable in a pre-launch advertisement.
Aina, 35, a social media influencer gained internet fame as a makeup artist on YouTube before expanding into lifestyle and home goods.
She was born 4 August 1987 as Jacquelyn Lonje Olayiwola Oyeshola Bolayemi Aina, to an African-American mother and a Nigerian father of Yoruba descent.