‘Coolest monkey in the jungle’: Clothing giant H&M’s ‘racist’ advertisement sparks criticism
The company later altered its listing and apologised.
Swedish multinational clothing retail company H&M on Monday faced severe criticism from social media users after it released an advertisement of a black child wearing a hoodie that said “coolest monkey in the jungle”.
Social media users labelled the advertisement “racist”, and demanded that it be removed.
BOYCOTT @hm! Whose with me? @hmusa What universe do you live in that makes it okay to flaunt your racist ways in such an epic portion. I demand you remove this ad! This child is precious and should be treated as such! #boycottH&M #racists #coolestmonkeyinthejungle #notonmywatch pic.twitter.com/eY4f7nKxvi
— Alexandra Foucard (@AFoucard) January 8, 2018
Every black person should boycott @hm - They knew exactly what they were doing when they made these stupid jumpers and put it on a small black boy ...
— R C John (@_RCJohn) January 8, 2018
The boys parents are also at fault. pic.twitter.com/CQtggJOECn
I’ve never supported @hm and for good reason. This is horrendous 😡. Our children are not monkeys!
— The First Lady (@LadySnow1920) January 8, 2018
@hm u want to explain the black child in a coolest monkey ever hoodie ? 🧐🧐🧐
— B Smith (@NameBrandSmith) January 8, 2018
H&M you spend millions on marketing and this is the best you can do? THIS ISN'T COOL!
— Cheryl C (@CherylC1313) January 8, 2018
RT IF YOU AGREE pic.twitter.com/s4mHGC0zKJ
This is horrifying @hm How many stupid people approved of this??
— Holly Tooker (@kellabeck) January 8, 2018
As the controversy raged, the company altered the listing on its website, removing the black child and simply putting up the hoodie for sale. “We apologise to anyone this may have offended,” an unidentified spokesperson for H&M told The Independent.
The company is not a stranger to controversies. In November 2015, Tlalane Letlhaku, a South African, criticised H&M South Africa for the lack of diversity in its models. In its reply, the company said it wanted its marketing to “show our fashion in an inspiring way, to convey a positive feeling”.
@Tlaly_Branch We want our marketing to show our fashion in an inspiring way, to convey a positive feeling. 2/4
— hmsouthafrica (@hmsouthafrica) November 2, 2015
After this reply, the clothing retail giant faced backlash for appearing to imply that white models portray a “positive image”, prompting an apology from H&M.
