Converse apologizes, scraps sneaker ad that critics say used racist imagery

Sneaker brand Converse has apologized and removed a social media advertisement for a pair of its shoes after critics said it invoked racist imagery reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and lynching.

The Instagram image showed K-pop singer Karina wearing a skirt and holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers. Online critics said that a white triangular image created by lighting on the garment resembled a KKK hood, while the way the sneakers dangled made them look like the feet of a lynching victim.

The photo sparked calls for staff involved in the ad to be fired and for a boycott of the company.

In a slew of social media comments, posters questioned how the ad could have cleared the company’s advertising vetting process. Other commenters defended Converse, saying they didn’t believe it was intentional.

“We’re sorry,” the company wrote in a statement to Global News on Monday.

“We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong. We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened, and we will do better,” it continued.

Converse, based in Boston, did not provide additional details, including its ad-screening process before posting or how the ad was approved.

Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment Group, did not immediately respond to messages through their Instagram accounts.

Several retailers, brands and celebrity endorsers have released or appeared in advertising campaigns that have backfired in recent times.

Earlier this month, Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney faced backlash from athletes and sports fans after appearing in a commercial for a U.S. betting platform wearing minimal to no clothing. In it, she is seen posing with various sports equipment and sitting naked on top of a basketball hoop.

The advertisement for prediction market company Novig was widely criticized for sexualizing women’s sports and trivializing the work female athletes put in to reach the pinnacle of their professions.

Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky said at the Front Office Sports Asset Class conference in New York on September 15 that the company was “hugely supportive of women’s sports, and it’s a huge component of our platform.”

“We never intended to portray female sports. Sydney is an actress, the biggest movie star in the world. We’re a prediction market focused on sports. That is the story she was communicating.”

“Working with her, we obviously expected the people who already hate her would be loud and vocal,” he continued.

The 29-year-old actress was the subject of controversy last year when she fronted a campaign for American Eagle with the tag line “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

The commercial received widespread criticism for language that viewers likened to eugenics messaging after Sweeney said, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Last month, Golf club maker Callaway deleted and apologized for an advertisement it released with Good Good Golf to promote a co-branded driver after releasing a video that depicted the latter’s co-founder, Garrett Clark, shoving a woman to the ground.

Viewers accused the companies of promoting violence against women when the ad showed Clark charging towards professional female golfer Alexis Miestowski, pushing her to the ground and saying, “Do not touch my new driver,” after she reached for his golf bag.

Callaway CEO Chip Brewer said in a statement that his company made a mistake and was taking it “very seriously.”

“I want to make it clear that we sincerely apologize for the video. The content was inappropriate and does not reflect our values,” Brewer’s statement read.

Good Good Golf also apologized for the ad, saying it “depicted actions that do not align with our values as a brand.”

Last month, retailer Target pulled a children’s Halloween costume from its shelves after widespread social media backlash, apologizing for selling a garment that critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures.

Converse, founded in Malden, Mass., in 1908, makes the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker. It was first released in 1917 as a non-skid basketball shoe, adding the signature of Taylor — a basketball player who promoted the sneaker — in 1934, according to the company’s website.