The American brand ‘Forever21’ has issued an apology for marketing its merchandise through a white model. Reportedly, Forever has posted a picture of a white model wearing a ForeverWakanda sweater on its Twitter page. Wakanda is a fictional country of South Africa created by Marvel productions for Black Panther, a superhero movie featuring a black hero which has been nominated recently for Golden Globe Awards along with some best peers.
Quite understandably, Forever has received an ample amount of negative reactions from many on Twitter that where one of the users wrote “Hey @Forever21, In What Universe Did You Think It Was Ok To Feature A White Model In Wakanda Gear? Granted, Chances Are You Knew It Wasn’t Ok, But Still. As A Former #21Men Brand Specialist For The Company, I’m Highly Offended.”
After a huge outcry on social media, Forever has removed the picture and posted the Wakanda sweater image alone. While there are users who think that there is nothing wrong with using a white model others doesn’t like, there are others who aren’t ok with the design of the sweater itself the design of the sweater itself.
Another user has tweeted, “It bothers me that the sweater is ugly AF. And I know it’s an ugly sweater, but what are those colors? A black, purple, and gold combo would have been just fine.”
The clothing company which has filled the wardrobe of most of the high schoolers in the country has taken the online controversy seriously and has apologized by issuing a statement to The Hollywood Reporter saying “Forever 21 takes feedback on our products and marketing extremely seriously. We celebrate all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities and apologize if the photo in question was offensive in any way.”
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