The film opens on a train, the H&M Winter Express, travelling through a snowstorm. The short film associates the H&M brand with this idea, while simultaneously suggesting that H&M is a good place to purchase gifts as people “come together” during the holiday season and evoking nostalgia. If you want any more proof of how powerful this sort of reclaiming can be, just look at how the phrase “ nevertheless, she persisted” became a rallying cry for strong women everywhere.Come Together utilizes the idea that the holidays are meant to bring together people of every age, race, ethnicity, and class. Now, the kid is a symbol of optimism and confidence-something that's much more appropriate and empowering for black boys today. Clad in the same green hoodie, its words are often changed to fit this narrative. Their inspiring illustrations imagine the boy not as the so called monkey in the jungle, but as the king of the entire thing. With the image gone, artists from around the world have reclaimed it and completely transformed its original meaning. In this instance, we have not been sensitive enough to this agenda.” They also state that they’ve removed the hoodie from sale and that it will be recycled. Since the backlash, H&M has issued an “ unequivocal apology.” Writing, “Racism and bias in any shape or form, conscious or unconscious, deliberate or accidental, are simply unacceptable and need to be eradicated from society. Sadly, it still remains today-in 2016, then-FLOTUS Michelle Obama was called an “ape in heels” by a former West Virginia mayor. It was used as a justification for the enslavement and the continuing horrible treatment of black people (like Jim Crow laws). The act of comparing a monkey and a black person as one in the same (sub-human) has deeply racist roots. As a result, celebrities including The Weeknd and G-Eazy are cutting ties with the company, while people across the internet are urging others to boycott H&M because of the image's racist implications.įor a little context on why people had this reaction, we’ll have to go back centuries. The offending photograph featured a black boy wearing a hoodie that says “coolest monkey in the jungle” across the front. Since then, artists have reclaimed the image, transforming the boy from a racist trope into something more appropriate and inspiring-like a king.Ĭlothing retailer H&M recently made a grave mistake in the eyes of many consumers by allowing a tone-deaf image to populate its website.
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