Could somebody please explain

From reading about it, it seems a subtle difference. It is a "flesh toned" undergarment and given that it is therefore targetted at Black/Asian females using "tobacco" as a colour reference is unappealing at best. The comments that I saw said why not call it "caramel" or "mocha"? Hardly the height of racism but unhelpful and now corrected.
 
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Ms Kimani complained about the bra for her skin tone carrying negative connotations, while more positive words were used for lighter colours.
Yet two months on from her initial complaint, the bra is still being sold in a "tobacco" colour on the Marks & Spencer website.
However, the retailer pledged to drop the name when approached by the Mirror and apologised for not acting sooner.

Ms Kimani told Mirror Online: "I saw it about two weeks after George Floyd's death and it was particularly raw to see at that time.
"Why not call it cocoa, caramel or chocolate - sweet dessert items? But they used tobacco. I was shocked when I saw it.
"It's hurtful to me and my friends. If a young girl who is already uncomfortable with the colour of her skin (sees it) she will be feeling even more alienated.
"Each week that website is showing that racism is another week a young girl may come across it and feel bad for the rest of her life.
"To see that 'tobacco' is for their skin tone will make them feel unwanted by society. Tobacco is referred to in society as bad, unhealthy, and highly likely to kill - ‘smoking kills’.
 
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Ms Kimani complained about the bra for her skin tone carrying negative connotations, while more positive words were used for lighter colours.
Yet two months on from her initial complaint, the bra is still being sold in a "tobacco" colour on the Marks & Spencer website.
However, the retailer pledged to drop the name when approached by the Mirror and apologised for not acting sooner.

Ms Kimani told Mirror Online: "I saw it about two weeks after George Floyd's death and it was particularly raw to see at that time.
"Why not call it cocoa, caramel or chocolate - sweet dessert items? But they used tobacco. I was shocked when I saw it.
"It's hurtful to me and my friends. If a young girl who is already uncomfortable with the colour of her skin (sees it) she will be feeling even more alienated.
"Each week that website is showing that racism is another week a young girl may come across it and feel bad for the rest of her life.
"To see that 'tobacco' is for their skin tone will make them feel unwanted by society. Tobacco is referred to in society as bad, unhealthy, and highly likely to kill - ‘smoking kills’.
I really worry that people like this have a voice in this world.

Everyone is offended by everything it seems. Funnily enough it's always a fact. No matter what you say it can and almost certainly will offend someone else. These days, however, the permalinks offended have a voice and companies have to bare the brunt in either lost sales or changes to labels and advertising. Especially when you play the race card. That one is a "100% we must react to this" No matter how ludicrous the "offence" is.
 
Tobacco is a plant and as such is not a negative, and it has more than one use. It is for instance, an ingredient of many expensive perfumes. Would that be regarded as a negative? Many years ago n****r brown was a shoe colour and you could buy Kiwi shoe polish in that shade. This was rightly dropped but let's not get over zealous.
 
""Each week that website is showing that racism is another week a young girl may come across it and feel bad for the rest of her life."

It is indeed - feel a bit silly now
There is a lack of congruence with it all though.
No matter - TheFair sums it up nicely. This is one person making headlines that resonate with the focus groups.
 
I often wonder why sellers have a picture of their goods then a description of the colour. You can see it, and the chances their are hundreds of varieties of the shade anyway.

Buy what is described as navy by a vendor and you will get items that are different shades.
 
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