The Salvation Army expanded the meaning of the dress that captivated the Internet recently by using it Friday to send a powerful message against domestic violence.
The South African Salvation Army campaign features a photo of a woman in a white-and-gold lace dress — exactly like #TheDress that had people endlessly debating its color — with large bruises on her legs and face. “Why is it so hard to see black and blue?” the ad reads.
“The only illusion is if you think it was her choice," the text continues. "One in 6 women are victims of abuse. Stop abuse against women.”
“@SalvationArmySA outstanding use of social media to drive campaign message brilliantly & quickly conceived & executed,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Others just said, “Powerful.”
The ad design was by Ireland/Davenport agency in
Johannesburg, The Washington Post said, and it was released in the Cape Times newspaper.
A spokesperson for Salvation Army’s South Africa territory told The Post that the ad was connected to work done with abused women and children, and trafficked women. The organization operates two homes for abused women and children.
On its Facebook page, the South African organization wrote, “Well God is good. We have had nearly 2,000 tweets in the last two hours . . . done interviews with The Washington Post, NBC News, Cosmopolitan Mag, IHQ, Sweden news and the list goes on. This ad has gone viral worldwide. I've been told it's the biggest Social Media Explosion TSA has seen. We thank the Lord. He knows how desperately we need awareness, not only to this huge problem, but in our Army.”
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