I don’t envy the people responsible for creating overseas ads. There’s so much to consider about social nuances in other countries that creating an ad that doesn’t accidentally offend someone must be an absolute nightmare. It’s a lesson Apple seems to be learning right now.
As reported by Asian tech news outlet IT Home, Apple, in an attempt to highlight the 5.4mm thickness of its new OLED iPad Mini, posted on its website some promotional images featuring a hand using a thumb and index finger to hold the tablet, a simple pinching gesture using two fingers that kind of forms the letter “C.” Nothing wrong with that, right? Not to us in the States, at least.
Well, it happens to carry a very specific meaning in South Korea, according to IT Home: it’s a gesture used to mock the size of a guy’s penis.
Apple Removed a Hand From Its iPad Ad, and the Reason Is Pretty Bizarre
This is the first time the “C” gesture has ruffled some South Korean folks. In 2023, gaming company Nexcon included a similar hand gesture and some promotional material for the game MapleStory. That one led to some online pearl-clutching and an issued apology. Apple quickly edited out the hand gesture on the South Korean product page. Where once a hand pinched the iPad Mini, there is now a free-floating iPad.
As far as offensive promotional materials go, a hand gesture that connotes a tiny member is fairly insignificant. Localization is tough across the board, especially when you have to take the shape two fingers make into account, or else you risk suggesting to fragile men that their penises are perhaps too small and therefore they are unworthy of using an iPad.
Or, maybe the Mini is the exact iPad for them. This feels like something only a few people were actually up in arms about, if that, but it also feels like at least a couple out there felt seen. Finally, an iPad for those who are not well endowed.
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