Clothing brand H&M has this morning issued an apology for using a Black male child to model a hoodie with the words “COOLEST MONKEY IN THE JUNGLE” emblazoned across the front.
Th ad sparked outrage after the image went viral, with consumers wondering how the clothing giants could be so obtuse and out of touch in 2018.
In the year 2018 there’s no way brands/art directors can be this negligent and lack awareness. If look at other sweaters in same category they have white kids. We have to do better. pic.twitter.com/Av4bS4t6yn
— alex medina (@mrmedina) January 8, 2018
. @hm, have you lost your damned minds?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/EYuCXLZtv3
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) January 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/KISOSWEET_/status/950400145497186305
Try this @hm !! Sia pic.twitter.com/rQbVKa7I7l
— Juls Baby (@JulsOnIt) January 8, 2018
The difference between overwhelming fury and comforting resolve may be Strategic action. If we are to Toil over the clearly racist @hm advertisement of a Black child, let’s make it matter. STOP👏🏾SPENDING👏🏾YOUR👏🏾COINS👏🏾. #racism #HM #strategichealing
— Shawna Murray-Browne, LCSW-C (@ShawnaMBrowne) January 8, 2018
The Sweden-based company has since removed the ad, offering this weak ass apology to the Daily News – “This image has now been removed from all H&M channels, and we apologize to anyone this may have offended.”
How many more times do we have to call out huge corporations for their marketing “slip-ups?.” This is getting real old, real fast!
