Princess Di exploited even in death

When Bobobimbo tweeted about this advert blogged by copyranter, I was a little disturbed. Yesterday, a China company, Jealousy International, launched their Diana® line of lingerie featuring Princess Diana (complete with a tiara). The adverts coincided with the death anniversary of the Princess of Wales with billboards across the country and the slogan proclaiming "Feel the romance of British royalty."

Trust a Chinese company to come up with such adverts, exploiting the dead even in death. Such a cheesy, badly designed ad too.

I wonder how would The People's Republic of China feel if their national icon is also being exploited and mocked in these ?  

Wait a minute.... someone already did....

Mao's Last Banquet by Zhang Hongtu. This painting speaks volumes of the cult-like image that Mao has created and expected the Chinese population to pay reverence to himself the Marxist dictator.

In 2008, French car maker Citroën launched an ad featuring a doctored portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. In the ad, carried in Spanish newspaper El Pais, Mao scowls at a hatchback  "It's true, we are leaders, but at Citroën the revolution never stops," reads the text below the portrait. Citroën eventually withdrew the ad and apologised for the "inappropriate" ad, which the Chinese people online complained "hurts our national pride". Source: BBC News.

I hope companies will be more sensitive to the sentiments of the place and its people where they introduce and launch a product / service. While riding on the name of a famous personality may make sense, sensitivity and respect are much more valued in the long run.

When in Paris a while back, I passed by the tunnel where Princess Diana had died in a  tragic car accident. My mood was perplexed, a poignant sight of a sad reminder of the past. This was taken near the tunnel. The golden statue of the eternal flame near the tunnel was an original tribute to Franco-Americian friendship, but now it has been adopted as the unofficial shrine to Princess Diana following her death. Many people have placed cards, flowers and her photos around the statue. I adored Princess Diana and it was sad being so "near" her for the very first time, albeit upon her death.

Please stop exploiting the dead.