Jesse Williams is joining the chorus of celebrities lashing out at H&M bosses over their controversial new clothing ad.
The fashion retailer hit headlines earlier this week (begs08Jan18) after an offensive campaign photo featuring a young black child wearing a green hoodie emblazoned with the words ‘Coolest Monkey in the Jungle’, surfaced online. The Weeknd and rapper G-Eazy, who both had lines with the company, have since cut ties with the firm, and now Williams is slamming the brand.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdvGFCkhHYK/?hl=en&taken-by=ijessewilliams
“Just getting back from vacation to see this pathetic excuse for corporate behavior and (ir)responsibility,” he writes on Instagram. “Last year I chose to do a holiday campaign w/ (with) @HM specifically because it centered (on) women and girls as imaginative doers; because it centered (on) an intelligent dark skinned girl w/ (with) natural hair as (a) protagonist; because it featured a loving, creative, working class black family. And then, here they come with this bulls**t…”
“The collateral damage of this corporate, colonial mind-state occurs several times a year, and it’s predictable the world over, like the seasons, so when i (sic) laid (my) eyes on it, my initial reaction was neither shock nor anger,” he continues. “It was boredom. This old world, white power, failing-upward culture of reckless trampling that repeatedly exposes itself, is boring already. Aren’t you bored?…”
And he is urging his fans to boycott H&M and take their business elsewhere.
“End relationships with your abusers,” he adds. “Make room for yourselves.”
Company bosses have issued an apology, insisting they will investigate why the controversial ad was approved.
“We understand that many people are upset about the image,” a statement from an H&M representative to NBC News reads. “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.”
“It is obvious that our routines have not been followed properly,” the statement continues. “We will thoroughly investigate why this happened to prevent this type of mistake from happening again.”
The ad has since been removed from all H&M online outlets.
