forever 21 wakanda sweater tchad

JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock (Licensed) Remix by Jason Reed

Forever 21 put a white model in its Wakanda sweater

The company has since apologized.

 

Samira Sadeque

IRL

Posted on Dec 19, 2018   Updated on May 20, 2021, 11:06 pm CDT

A Forever 21 ad for a Black Panther-themed Christmas sweater is receiving much backlash for featuring a white model.

While the original photo is no longer available on the company’s website or Twitter, screenshots show a white, so-blonde-his-hair-is-white model rocking the purple, yellow, and orange-colored Christmas sweater, which reads “Wakanda Forever” in the middle, underneath the face of a panther. 

For the product of a film that’s about rising against Western colonization—and lauded for its representation of Black people—to be marketed by a white model, was upsetting to many.

https://twitter.com/Lyracet90/status/1075094019322073089

https://twitter.com/Iyeshalovette/status/1075137023332081665

https://twitter.com/WhoIsMarkPaul/status/1075138578643079168

https://twitter.com/Unaamorcita/status/1075092440191827968

Some didn’t agree with the backlash, though.

https://twitter.com/lunaticshii/status/1075187027308670977

Real or not, Wakanda definitely harbors a sentimental value for many, with its depiction of Africa in a powerful light and representing the strength and power of the Black community. Additionally, with Black models in fashion pushed to the backstage or underrepresented, the ad adds insult to the injury by having to see a white model promote a symbol of Black power.

In a statement to the Daily Dot, Forever 21 apologized, writing: “Forever 21 takes concerns on our products and marketing extremely seriously. While we celebrate all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities, we listened to the important feedback from our customers and removed the product photo in question from our website and social media accounts. We sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by the product photo.”

As of Wednesday morning, the product on its page only showed the sweater, without a model.

Updated with comment from Forever 21. 

Share this article
*First Published: Dec 19, 2018, 10:06 am CST