It seems as though half of the Internet moans and complains about social justice warriors, snowflakes and the demise of a generation whenever brands apologise for doing something that is perceived as racist, sexist or insensitive and the other half of social media starts to attack capitalism and say brands are inherently racist and all they care about is the bottom line. But there is still a value to industry giants like Gucci and Adidas apologising and trying to make things right (or avoid further PR scandal): it sets an example for smaller companies.
Ironically today’s scandal dealt with a pair of white running shoes and a black balaclava, which were both deemed by the public to be inappropriate for Gucci and Adidas, respectively. On the surface both are perfectly fine to sell, but things get a bit trickier when you look at the details. Gucci’s black balaclava turtleneck had red around the mouth, which some may think mimics the effect of lipstick, but does bear a striking resemblance to blackface cartoons and performances popular in the early 20th century. As for Adidas, the white shoes were named “uncaged” and sold as part of a collection made to celebrate Black History Month. The completely white silhouette does stick out, as a peculiar way to celebrate the month and referencing slavery with a shoe made of cotton, which slaves were made to pick, did not help.
With both of these examples there is room for interpretation, but both brands ended up listening to a barrage of tweets, posts and stories denouncing the products and that is not a bad thing – especially since it took a lot more for them to care pre-social media. In the end, both Gucci and Adidas pulled the products and apologised. Larger brands are more vulnerable to public outcries, because they have more followers and people care more about what they do. Still, they influence how the industry does business. Smaller companies are more likely to be conscious of racial sensitivities if it is the norm in their field.
Not the best start to Black History Month, but hopefully next year will fare better.
Photo: Pexels/Pixabay