'The Dress' turned in to 'powerful' anti-violence ad

The dress that divided the internet with millions debating its colours has been adopted by the Salvation Army for the focus of its latest anti-domestic violence campaign.

Why is it so hard to see black and blue? is the charity's latest advert and highlights the plight of women who are victims of domestic violence.

Launched in South Africa over the weekend, where one in six women are the victims of abuse at home, it features a model wearing the Roman Originals dress in white and gold.

Capitalising on the garment's notoriety, the tag line reads: "The only illusion is if you think it was her choice. One in 6 women are victims of abuse. Stop abuse against women."

It also carries the logo for Carehaven, a home for abused women and their children.
The image has been shared over thousands of times online since being posted.

It has been shared thousands of times online, with Twitter users among those to praise the charity's clever adopting of the trend.

"So clever! Advertising at its best!" was how one user described it while scores of others lauded its "powerful" message.

"Really like this clever way @SalvationArmySA used #TheDress to send a powerful message" said Hayley Slaughter while Kara Rose described the campaign as "clever and powerful".

Andrew Blakeley added: "The best hijacking of the online culture I've seen recently. Bravo to the Salvation Army."

"The dress debate put to socially good use! I like a lot," said another.

The Salvation Army then followed up that image with another ad related to that viral dress debate.

A spokesperson for The Salvation Army said: "The Salvation Army sees the devastating effects of domestic violence on women, men and children every day.

"We support people who are affected in our human trafficking work, our specialist services, Lifehouses and community centres.

"We know that one in four women are victims of domestic violence in the UK: this innovative and powerful campaign by The Salvation Army in South Africa highlights that domestic violence is often overlooked by society.

"We hope this image helps people to see the true impact of this crime."

"The dress" sparked global debate last week with millions of people arguing over the colour of its fabric.

With celebrities Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber among those to weigh in on what colours they saw, its manufacturer, Roman Originals, suddenly became the world's most talked about brand.

The Twitter storm began when a 21-year-old aspiring singer from Scotland posted a photograph of the garment on Tumblr after seeing her friends disagree over its colours.

Watch:

While the original dress is black and blue the company has since produced a limited edition white and gold version to meet demand.

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- Daily Mail