H&M recently promoted a 'coolest monkey in the jungle' Hoodie worn by a black boy - but this caused major outrage as this was and is to a certain extent racist. Another advert fail...just like the Pepsi advert which insinuated a Pepsi could stop police brutality.
I am part of a group that started a debate stating the hoodie was innocent and that if a white child was wearing it the hoodie would be fine and that Black People like to pull the race card a lot.
But, some people argued the hoodie is very offensive because of the connotations that a monkey has to black people and it is due to the fact a black child is wearing the hoodie.
I understand that H&M did not intend for the image and the message on it to be offensive, but I strongly agree that the message and who wore the hoodie was derogatory. First of all black people have suffered insults at being compared to the primate - one example being when Pamela Taylor called Michelle Obama an 'ape in heels' which resulted in her being fired because her language was offensive and belittling.
And for years many black people (even though a term of endearment) do not refer to their children or any child of darker skin complexion as a monkey, because it has for a long time (even though innocent) been used against them to make them feel like they do not belong and as a form of seclusion for decades.
In colonialist states, black people were described in animalistic imagery, circulated by voyagers who used to travel to Africa to conquer. They were compared to the wildest of animals - fear was instilled into Western countries about who black people were. So for a long period of time, they were caged as though they were animals.
For decades ancestors fought hard to remove the diminishing images that had been placed on them.
Even though to some extent less people used the words, racism still loomed on the streets and often black people are called 'monkey'. This is how the word is offensive. It has been long used to degrade the black community in modern society and this is why most black people are reluctant to use the word towards their own children because they dont want it to become acceptable.
So even though it was not intentional it is worrying that the marketing team, even the child's parents or guardians did not see anything morally wrong with the slogan on the hoodie.
As a result, this has cost H&M a heavy price - many people have withdrawn from working with them such as the Starboy singer The Weekend and G-Eazy.
Yes they have apologised for their oversight and pulled the stock from their stores but the damage has been done.
