H&M Face Controversy Regarding “Racist” Hoodie
A week ago today, H&M released a new collection, where one of the products had the print “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” on it – and it was modeled by a dark-skinned boy. This isn’t the first time H&M have been caught up in controversies, amongst them being a headdress controversy and a controversy surrounding a scarf that looked like a traditional Jewish clothing.
The first to put the mistake into the limelight was the singer The Weeknd, who tweeted: “Woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. I’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore.” Many people have agreed to his comment and the controversy was soon spread all over the internet. Other celebrities have taken action and shared their opinion on the case. One celebrity created what she called a “protest hoodie” in response.
H&M replied to the messages, coming out with an apology. Part of the apology states: “We agree with all the criticism that this has generated – we have got this wrong and we agree that, even if unintentional, passive or casual racism needs to be eradicated wherever it exists.” (To read the entire apology and more, click here.)
The model’s mother has responded to the controversy, saying to “stop crying wolf all the time,” “get over it,” and also saying that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but she has chosen to look at things differently. She also says that she has been to every single one of his photoshoots and that she did not see a problem in the sweatshirt.
To read even more about this controversy, click the links below!
http://www.newsweek.com/protestors-hm-south-africa-sweatshirt-780783
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