By BRIANNA ROBLES
Staff Writer
In recent news, social media blew up in outrage because H&M United Kingdom, UK, posted a young black boy modeling a “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” sweater on their website. Social media accused H&M of being racist and as a result left the company losing sponsors from famous individuals like R&B singer The Weeknd and rapper G-Eazy.
Also, due to this outrage people have trashed South African H&M stores causing the company to temporarily close stores in South Africa leaving many without jobs. H&M released an apology moments after stating, “We sincerely apologize for this image… We believe in diversity and inclusion in all that we do.”
Do I think H&M intentionally meant to offend black people with their design? No. Everyone knows black people make up a lot, if not majority of the business’ customers and by intentionally messing that up over a sweater would be a bad business move. The execution of the sweater was simply a result of lack of representation and diversity in the company’s advertisement team.
The company saw no problem with the young boy wearing the sweater because of ignorance to the struggles of black people. This is why it’s important to have people from all walks of life, races, and religions in the boardroom when discussing decisions and presenting ideas because to one group of people something won’t be offensive, but to another it can be viewed completely different. People must also look at where the boy wearing the sweater was advertised; in the UK, not America. The derogatory form of the word “monkey” in America is not used the same as it is in the United Kingdom.
Now, on the other hand, would I be surprised if H&M did design the sweater and deliberately have the young black boy model it to intentionally offend black people? Again, the answer is no, I would not be surprised. Many designers and brands have outwardly shown their dislike and even hate for black people and are still functioning.
The majority of black people still support those who openly announce their distaste for people of color. These companies know that their brand is so liked by black people that they could do anything and would still be able to sell their product. Think about it, would you pretend to like someone even though you know they would support you despite anything. Exactly. Is it right? No, of course not, but this is the way companies operate.
If everyone was as upset as they claimed to be on social media, they not only would stop supporting all businesses who openly hate black people, but they would put their money to better use by supporting black businesses. If you take into consideration how much you spend on big brands that mostly create “average” products, that money can go toward black businesses who consist of your everyday people. For example, your friends who have a clothing line or hair care business they’re trying to get off of the ground. When you do this not only are you supporting your own, but you’re also circulating money in your own community.
So, I ask why is everyone taking offense to something I doubt was intentional, but still choosing to support those who boldly hate us?
