Home shopping giant QVC apologized last week after many customers spoke out against an email that they described as “racist” toward the Asian American community.
QVC president Mike Fitzharris issued on Friday an apology on behalf of the company, following a marketing email sent earlier in the day that promoted a handbag with the subject line, “You’ll love this bag longtime,” according to the email viewed by NBC News.
The shopping organization had drawn backlash for what appeared to be a play on the phrase, “Me love you long time,” words that have been used to demean Asian women since the late ‘80s. And with the email coinciding with International Women’s Day, many said they felt the line was particularly offensive.
“Earlier today, you received a marketing email for our Today’s Special Value that used derogatory language that is offensive, particularly to the Asian community and women, in the subject line,” Fitzharris said. “I am personally sending this email because I want to apologize deeply that this happened. It runs counter to our values and principles as an organization and is in no way reflective of our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, something that makes us stronger as an organization.”
The company did not elaborate further on the issue in response to an NBC News request for comment.
The phrase, “Me love you long time,” and any riffs on it, have long drawn the ire of those in the Asian American community. The words, made famous by Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 fictional war movie “Full Metal Jacket,” are uttered by a Vietnamese sex worker, played by actress Papillon Soo, who also says the similarly offensive line, “Me so horny.” Many Asian Americans have since argued that the film only confirmed the problematic, reductive stereotype of Asian women as hypersexualized and subservient.
Fitzharris said that the company is making adjustments to prevent anything similar from happening again.
“This will be done closely with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team to ensure we provide diverse perspectives and reviews with our language,” he said in the apology email. “We need to do better, and we will do better. I am sorry we didn’t do better today.”
