Versace Mislabeled Hong Kong and Macau as Countries + 13 More TOP Brands and Celebs Involved in Cultural Insensitive Scandals
Burger King is the latest brand to spark criticism on social media with an ad depicting diners struggling to eat western food with chopsticks. Unfortunately, this brand not the only one who was involved in a cultural insensitivity or racial scandal.
Versace mislabeled Hong Kong and Macau as countries
Source: Twitter/WWD
Versace ‘implied’ that Hong Kong and Macau, special administrative regions in China, are countries.
Also, this scandal made Yang Mi, Versace’s China brand ambassador, to end her contract: “The motherland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are sacred and inviolable.”
Source: Twitter
The fashion label issued an apology: “In recent days Versace has seen widespread discussion of one of our t-shirts. We would like to express our deepest apologies for this incident. Our design incorrectly labeled the country names for some cities…
“This is our company’s mistake and we express our deepest apologies for any harm it may have caused. Versace affirms that we love China and resolutely respect the sovereignty of its territory.”
Moreover, it stopped selling the shirt and destroyed all of the ones it hadn’t sold.
Rihanna’s Harper’s Bazaar China cover
Harper’s Bazaar China posted a number of pics of the famous singer Rihanna dressed in the Royal fashions of ancient China.
“If you wanted to create an Asian look why didn’t you invite Asian artists?” one user asked under Harper’s Bazaar’s Instagram post.
“This is a total smack in the face to the Asian culture,” one more Instagram user wrote.
Source: Harper’s Bazaar
The same discussion went over Twitter:
“She snapped but…isn’t….that…cultural appropriation?!?!” wrote one Twitter user.
“Love Rihanna but we can’t accept everything she does cause it’s her,” wrote one more.
Unfortunately, not many noticed that Chinese editors and photographers dressed her for the cover, which can’t be a cultural appropriation.
Kim Kardashian and ‘Kimono’
The reality TV show star Kim Kardashian launched her new shapewear ‘Kimono Intimates’ and faced backlash from people in Japan.
“Finally I can share with you guys this project that I have been developing for the last year. I’ve been passionate about this for 15 years. Kimono is my take on shapewear and solutions for women that actually work,” she wrote on her Instagram.
“I would always cut up my shapewear to make my own styles, and there have also been so many times I couldn’t find a shapeware color that blended with my skin tone so we needed a solution for all of this.”
“We wear kimonos to celebrate health, growth of children, engagements, marriages, graduations, at funerals. It’s celebratory wear and passed on in families through the generations,” one Japanese woman, Yuka Ohishi, told the BBC.
“[This] shapewear doesn’t even resemble a kimono – she just chose a word that has Kim in it – there’s no respect to what the garment actually means in our culture.”
Gucci’s “Indy Turban”
Source: Venturelli/WireImage
The “Indy Full Turban” costs $800 and is sold by retailer Nordstrom. Obviously, it has drawn backlash for the appropriation of Sikh culture and values.
“The turban is not just an accessory to monetize,” Sikh Coalition wrote, adding in a tweet. It wrote: “Many find this cultural appropriation inappropriate since those wearing the turban just for fashion will not appreciate its deep religious significance.”
“As a Sikh, I see this as a huge sign of disrespect and disregard toward Sikhism,” one Twitter user said.
The item has been removed from Nordstrom’s website due to the criticism.
Burger King drops chopsticks ad after accusations of cultural insensitivity
.@BurgerKing has apologized for its @instagram video about people eating a burger with chopsticks, saying the ad was "insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion." pic.twitter.com/pUEFJivlZc
— Yicai Global 第一财经 (@yicaichina) April 9, 2019
The fast-food chain showed a video clip of diners trying to eat its new “Vietnamese Sweet Chilli Tendercrisp Burger” with large red chopsticks. Social media users say the ad, which was posted on Instagram, is culturally insensitive and plays to stereotypes. It included the caption: “Take your taste buds all the way to Ho Chi Minh City.”
Source: Twitter
The ad was later deleted, and Burger King issued an apology, saying it was “insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion.”
Katy Perry “blackface” shoes
Source: Getty/Katy Perry
Looks like Katy Perry fashion line got into a huge scandal!
TMZ reported that Katy Perry would be removing the Ora Face Block Heel and the Rue Face Slip-On Loafers ($129) from retailers (Dillards and Walmart) after the clients claimed that these resembled blackface.
The shoes have 2 eyes, a nose, and red lips. Also, they come in two different colors black and beige. However, people complained only about the black version as it looks like blackface.
Surely, the star doesn’t intend to be offensive, however, she had to remove the line from the store in order to respect her clients.
Gucci sweater
Source: Gucci
Gucci, an Italian luxury brand of fashion, was criticized for a balaclava sweater which many people said resembled blackface.
In an official statement, Gucci announced that this particular sweater was removed from the stores and apologized for the inappropriate piece of clothing.
“We can confirm that the item has been immediately removed from our online store and all physical stores,” Gucci said in a statement. “We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond.”
This incident is a learning moment for the company and other brands around the world.
Megyn Kelly expected to leave Today Show after blackface comments
Source: NBC
Megyn Kelly is expected to wind down her 9 a.m. Today show hour by the end of the season, a source close to Kelly tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Two people familiar with the matter confirmed that to CNN Business and said Kelly’s show will be ending. Negotiations about the end date and other details are still underway. But Kelly will not be hosting Thursday’s program, and she is unlikely to return later, one of the people said. So “Megyn Kelly Today” may end very soon.
Kelly’s offensive remarks about blackface Halloween costumes on Tuesday have raised more questions about her future at NBC.
Papa John’s founder resigns as he used n-word
Source: Getty
The founder and chairman and Pizza chain Papa John’s has resigned right after he apologized for using a racial slur (n-word) during a conference call in May.
“Papa John’s condemns racism and any insensitive language, no matter the situation or setting … We take great pride in the diversity of the Papa John’s family, though diversity and inclusion is an area we will continue to strive to do better,” the company stated.
Also, John Schnatter resigned as CEO last year, after stating that the football players kneeling during the national anthem to blame for the slowing sales growth.
Uber HR chief resigns in racism scandal
Source: People Matters
Uber’s Chief People Officer Liane Hornsey has resigned after an investigation proved that she regularly ignored racial discrimination complaints.
The anonymous group of Uber workers stated that Hornsey used racially discriminatory language and made negative comments about Uber Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion Bernard Coleman and offended former Uber executive Bozoma Saint John.
Here's the email Uber CEO @dkhos sent to staff tonight about the departure of Liane Hornsey, head of HR, who was with Uber through much of its crisis post-Susan Fowler's blog post about harassment & discrimination at Uber pic.twitter.com/ZJtUVcwVIh
— Caroline O'Donovan (@ceodonovan) July 11, 2018
General Electric
In 2016, 60 African American workers filed suit against General Electric for racial slurs. The suit alleged that one of the managers called discriminate colleagues by calling them N-word, “monkey,” and “lazy blacks.”
Also, he refused to allow black workers to go on the bathroom breaks and didn’t provide medical attention. Moreover, he fired black workers because of their race.
Heineken racist advert
Heineken’s new commercial for its light beer was removed after it received some complaints that it was racist. You can check out more worst advertising fails here.
Chance the Rapper was the first one to draw attention to this ‘terribly racist’ and considered the advert was intentionally provocative to stir conversation and get more views.
I think some companies are purposely putting out noticably racist ads so they can get more views. And that shit racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it. But 😂 I gotta just say tho. The “sometimes lighter is better” Hienekin commercial is terribly racist omg
— The Big Day out now (@chancetherapper) March 26, 2018
Here’s the advertisement itself:
Is this new Heineken advert racist?
.
.
Reply!!!👇🏾👇🏾 #CoolPolls pic.twitter.com/qG1O8IU2u2— Cool FM Nigeria 96.9 (@CoolFMNigeria) March 27, 2018
ABC’s “Roseanne”
Source: ABC
ABC’s top TV show “Roseanne” was recently canceled following racist comments from Roseanne Barr, but that’s not the only show that has been closed due to controversy.
In a now-deleted tweet, Barr compared Valerie Jarrett, Barack Obama’s former advisor, to an ape. Barr apologized “for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks,” but the damage was already done.
In a statement, ABC President Channing Dungey called Barr’s statement “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values,” which led to the cancellation.
Starbucks launched racial-bias training
Starbucks says it will close its 8,000 company-owned stores in the United States for one afternoon on May 29 to educate employees about racial bias.
The special training will be provided to about 175,000 company’s workers. Such a decision is a reaction to the latest incident – the arrest of two black men who were waiting for a friend at a Philadelphia Starbucks without making an order last week. The store manager called the police.
@Starbucks The police were called because these men hadn’t ordered anything. They were waiting for a friend to show up, who did as they were taken out in handcuffs for doing nothing. All the other white ppl are wondering why it’s never happened to us when we do the same thing. pic.twitter.com/0U4Pzs55Ci
— Melissa DePino (@missydepino) April 12, 2018
After the incident upset many customers, Starbucks issued a three-sentence apology on social media, which received even more backlash.
We apologize to the two individuals and our customers for what took place at our Philadelphia store on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/suUsytXHks
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) April 14, 2018
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson had a personal meeting with the two men on Monday and apologized for how they were treated. The company says the manager who called the police is no longer working at that store.
“I’ve spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it,” Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said in a statement.
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