H&M's Product and Photo Criticized

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Yet another retailer is criticized for a product and image considered, as Forbes puts it, "racially insensitive." This time, H&M is answering for an image of a black child in a hooded sweatshirt with the message, "Coolest Monkey in the Jungle."

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As predicted, the company pulled the product and issued an apology:

"We understand that many people are upset about the image. We, who work at H&M, can only agree. We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken, and we also regret the actual print. Therefore, we have not only removed the image from our channels, but also the garment from our product offering globally. It is obvious that our routines have not been followed properly. This is without any doubt. We will thoroughly investigate why this happened to prevent this type of mistake from happening again."

Still, some people are boycotting H&M, and Grammy winner Abel Tesfaye (aka "The Weeknd") says he is cutting ties with the brand.

Discussion:

  • Same question as usual: How did this happen? How could the product and image have passed a review process?
  • Abercrombie has been accused of intentionally creating controversial clothing. Do you think this is the case with H&M? Why or why not?
  • To what extent is H&M taking responsibility for the incident? What else, if anything, should the company do?