Politixia
Converse has apologized and pulled a controversial ad after critics compared the imagery to the Ku Klux Klan and lynching.
The ad, part of Converse’s global Chuck 70 X campaign featuring K-pop star Karina, showed her holding a pair of black sneakers. The lighting and positioning made it look like the black shoes were dangling beneath a large, pointed piece of white fabric that some folks said looked like a Klan hood.
The image quickly sparked outrage online, with critics saying the hanging shoes evoke lynching imagery.
Converse removed the ad from its social media accounts and other platforms … and apologized for the campaign.
The company said in a statement to Footwear News it understands why the image was “deeply upsetting,” acknowledged it “got this wrong,” and vowed to do better.
There’s no indication Converse intended to reference the KKK or lynching, but critics are questioning how the images made it through the company’s approval process.
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