The world is up in arms behind a H&M ad that features this Black king in a sweatshirt that reads “The coolest monkey in the jungle”. While I completely agree that ad execs should have been more than aware of the potential backlash of putting a black boy in a sweatshirt with monkey printed on it, I am not the least bit surprised.
Why? We know most people are racist and even more so those in the fashion industry. That is blatant in every couture runway and magazine spread. On the other side of things, people are trying to live in a colorblind society where “race doesn’t exist”. BULLSHIT! Race is very apparent and is still impacting how people navigate throughout the world.
As a consumer, I’m not mad at this ad because I know it’s a part of a greater collection of jungle themed clothing. If a boy from any other ethnicity or even lighter skin was wearing the sweatshirt we wouldn’t have bat an eye. Which leads me to a lot of people being “fake woke”. Yes there are greater implications for the message this presents but it’s weight won’t push on pass this week.
I appreciate the public outrage behind the ad. I appreciate The Weeknd for saying he will no longer work with the company. I appreciate the world being an advocate for this young boy. What I don’t like is people attacking his parents for questioning why they would let this happen. Um because they are supporting their child’s interest in a career. What I don’t like is everyone saying they will no longer shop at the brand when there are hundreds of brands that exist that we shouldn’t technically support either. What I don’t like is that this problem will continue to persist and we will be up in arms again as if it didn’t happen just months, weeks, days prior. But y’all can stay mad though!
