'Wakanda bulls**t is this?' Forever 21 draws outrage by using a white model with blue eyes and blond hair to showcase Black Panther sweater
https://theglowup.theroot.com/forever21-put-a-great-value-eminem-in-a-wakanda-forever-1831182511
Fashion retailer Forever 21 is facing backlash for selecting a white model with blue eyes and very blond hair to showcase a sweater tied to the Black Panther film.
The Los Angeles-based retailer raised eyebrows on Tuesday afternoon by tweeting an image of the white model showing off the Christmas sweater, which reads 'Wakanda Forever'.
The sweater is in reference to the 2018 Marvel film, which depicted the fictional African utopia of Wakanda and starred Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, the Black Panther.
Following instant backlash, Forever 21's tweet was deleted, images of the white model were removed from the online store, and the company apologized in a statement to DailyMail.com.
Forever 21 takes feedback on our products and marketing extremely seriously,' the company's statement said.
'We celebrate all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities and apologize if the photo in question was offensive in any way.'
Backlash to the images was swift and severe online, from those that thought the choice of model was inappropriate.
'Where did Forever 21 find this model? Al Bino's Lilywhite Modeling Agency and Bleach Shop?' one Twitter user wrote.
'Wakanda bulls**t is this?' asked another.
Other users called the model a 'colonizer', a sentiment echoed in commentary on The Root, an Afrocentric online magazine.
'Wakanda people does Forever21 have on their marketing team? Who at their company looked at this image and thought it was a good idea to put T'Chad in this garment?' wrote commentator Corey Townsend.
'The irony of placing a colonizer in a Black Panther-themed sweater isn’t lost on me ... I’m pretty sure T’Chad has strong plans of gentrifying Wakanda, one Starbucks at a time,' Townsend continued.
Forever 21 had removed the model from the company's store on Tuesday evening. Two other Black Panther-themed items were still shown with models.
Forever 21 still showed two other Black Panther-themed items with models on their site
It is not the first time a choice of clothing model has drawn criticism of racial insensitivity.
In January, retailer H&M came under fire for an ad depicting a black boy modeling a hoodie that read 'Coolest Monkey In the Jungle'.
H&M also drew backlash by selling a green hooded top on its website emblazoned with the phrase 'Coolest Monkey in the Jungle'
The model's fair features drew backlash from critics who felt that the sweater celebrating the fictional African utopia of Wakanda should not be modeled by a white person
- Brand drew backlash by tweeting photo of the white model on Tuesday
- Shows a male model with light features, blue eyes, and blond hair in sweater
- Sweater reads 'Wakanda Forever' in tribute to the Marvel film Black Panther
- Company apologizes in statement to DailyMail.com and says it 'celebrates all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities'
https://theglowup.theroot.com/forever21-put-a-great-value-eminem-in-a-wakanda-forever-1831182511
Fashion retailer Forever 21 is facing backlash for selecting a white model with blue eyes and very blond hair to showcase a sweater tied to the Black Panther film.
The Los Angeles-based retailer raised eyebrows on Tuesday afternoon by tweeting an image of the white model showing off the Christmas sweater, which reads 'Wakanda Forever'.
The sweater is in reference to the 2018 Marvel film, which depicted the fictional African utopia of Wakanda and starred Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, the Black Panther.
Following instant backlash, Forever 21's tweet was deleted, images of the white model were removed from the online store, and the company apologized in a statement to DailyMail.com.
Forever 21 takes feedback on our products and marketing extremely seriously,' the company's statement said.
'We celebrate all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities and apologize if the photo in question was offensive in any way.'
Backlash to the images was swift and severe online, from those that thought the choice of model was inappropriate.
'Where did Forever 21 find this model? Al Bino's Lilywhite Modeling Agency and Bleach Shop?' one Twitter user wrote.
'Wakanda bulls**t is this?' asked another.
Other users called the model a 'colonizer', a sentiment echoed in commentary on The Root, an Afrocentric online magazine.
'Wakanda people does Forever21 have on their marketing team? Who at their company looked at this image and thought it was a good idea to put T'Chad in this garment?' wrote commentator Corey Townsend.
'The irony of placing a colonizer in a Black Panther-themed sweater isn’t lost on me ... I’m pretty sure T’Chad has strong plans of gentrifying Wakanda, one Starbucks at a time,' Townsend continued.
Forever 21 had removed the model from the company's store on Tuesday evening. Two other Black Panther-themed items were still shown with models.
Forever 21 still showed two other Black Panther-themed items with models on their site
It is not the first time a choice of clothing model has drawn criticism of racial insensitivity.
In January, retailer H&M came under fire for an ad depicting a black boy modeling a hoodie that read 'Coolest Monkey In the Jungle'.
H&M also drew backlash by selling a green hooded top on its website emblazoned with the phrase 'Coolest Monkey in the Jungle'
The model's fair features drew backlash from critics who felt that the sweater celebrating the fictional African utopia of Wakanda should not be modeled by a white person
