Swedish fast fashion company H&M has just announced the appointment of a new Global Leader for Diversity and Inclusiveness due to growing backlash against a racially insensitive image on its online store that has stirred up an international controversy. The high street giant has been roundly slammed after an advertisement, now pulled, showed put a Black child wearing a hoodie emblazoned with the slogan 'Coolest Monkey In The Jungle.' Now, in a statement released on social media, H&M details how its making amends for its 'unintentional' racism.
H&M's statement read: "The recent incident was entirely unintentional, but it demonstrates so clearly how big our responsibility is as a global brand. We have reached out, around the world, inside and outside H&M to get feedback. Our commitment to addressing diversity and inclusiveness is genuine, therefore we have appointed a global leader, in this area, to drive our work forward."
While the appointment of a leader to address racial and other culturally sensitive issues within H&M is definitely a welcome move - brands absolutely must show conscientiousness and the willingness to learn from mistakes after upsetting a large portion of its customer base - it remains to be seen whether the decision is a hastily cobbled together image management plan to appease the offended. The newly minted role will, after all, be filled with one of its existing leaders, Annie Wu, H&M's global manager of employee relations. So in real quantifiable terms, no additions have actually been made within the company, other than redefining responsibilities of current employees.
The incident in question is a since-deleted image on H&M's online store that showed a Black child modelling a jungle-themed hoodie that read, "coolest monkey in the jungle." To make matters worse, the other jungle-themed clothes - modelled by White children - nowhere mentioned monkeys or any other animals.
Naturally, people were incensed. And what started as severe online criticism quickly took a more sinister turn, as angry demonstrators gathered outside H&M stores across many locations in South Africa to protest, trashing several stores in the process and forcing H&M to temporarily shut shop.
A line has to be drawn on racism!
— Vusi Pikoli (@VusiPikoli) January 14, 2018
Dignity is an unlimited right in our Constitution.If we never acted before does not mean meek submission.We want jobs that do not strip us of our dignity.Enough is enough!
H&M's management and marketing division should undergo compulsory anti-racism and diversity training. #RootOutRacism pic.twitter.com/d1MzVVYSD1
— Kathrada Foundation (@KathradaFound) January 15, 2018
If racists were always met with the same resistance @EFFSouthAfrica is showing H&M today, how many racists would be left? We are 20 years late mahn, and maybe EFF wouldn't have to if officials took racism seriously as a criminal offense. A luta continua! @Julius_S_Malema
— Molokwane (@ProfKarabo) January 13, 2018
A slew of celebrities - including pop artist The Weeknd and rapper G-Eazy - decided to cut ties with H&M over the racist image.
While NBA star LeBron James and rapper Diddy criticised H&M sharply.
The parents of Liam Mango, the child who modelled the hoodie, commented on the racism controversy saying that they hadn't interpreted the sweatshirt that way and it was among the hundreds of t-shirts that their son had modelled. In a series of now-deleted Facebook posts, the mother told all the people who thought the image was racially insensitive to "get over it", further angering people. The family has now had to allegedly move from their home in Stockholm, Sweden, due to security concerns over the ongoing controversy.
Sometimes, it takes an international controversy for brands to wisen up to issues it would never have had to deal with, if only it had shown some foresight.
