Converse pulls ad after backlash: 'We got this wrong' - USA Today

A Converse ad released this week caused immediate social media backlash, with commenters saying the advertisement had a distinct resemblance to a Ku Klux Klan member’s infamous white pointed hood and the dangling feet of a lynching victim.

The photo, which has been taken down, was initially posted on the shoe company’s Instagram account to promote Converse’s Chuck 70 X sneaker, which launched last month. The post shows a figure in white carrying a pair of sneakers, with the Converse star in white illuminating the scene.

Almost immediately after it was posted, social media users condemned the image, saying the white star resembled a white pointed hood, and likened the pair of dangling shoes to a lynching victim.

“Shadow, light, and composition. Every photographer can tell you, whoever did this ad knew EXACTLY what they were doing,” Chicago-based photographer Stephanie Schwartz said in a post on Threads.

Converse apologized on Friday, Sept. 18, saying it would remove the photo from its social media channels, according to the BBC.

"This should not have happened and we will do better," the company said. "We're sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong".

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.