H&M mother has said for people to 'get over it'

[WomanEmpire]

Apparently she has said on Facebook it's people 'crying wolf' and to 'get over it'

Wdyt?

I personally think H&M are counting their lucky stars and have sort of preyed on her, (this is very presumptuous, so I am prepared to be shot down) knowing that perhaps as someone who is native Nigerian and moved to Sweden (I think relatively recently, but again pull me up on this if I'm incorrect) might not be quite as aware of the racism that incurs in the US/UK, as those who live in these countries and wouldn't think to second guess in a shoot, because you'd trust such a popular retailer to not have racist slurs put on a jumper and modelled by a child, who could quite possibly still be called this by those idiots. Because I still can't believe that NO ONE along the process picked up on this.

I'm not saying racism doesn't occur in other countries but I have experience of those two countries.

[NewBrian]

I agree with her, it would’ve been racist if they didn’t let him wear it because he was black.

[BurningStar]

I also agree with her and belive it would be racist to not allow a child to wear the top because they're black.

Anyone with common sense will know that the term 'monkey' on the top is referring to children and their cheeky personalities not referring to the child wearing the top as looking like a monkey because he's black.

It's fucking obvious.

[PinkHeart5914]

I have to say I am inclined to agree with her tbh

[GerdaLovesLili]

Oh you mean you think that white people know what black people are thinking better than they themselves do? How very patronising.

[TammySwansonTwo]

Yet another depressing thread on this topic.
The mother is defensive.
In a country where football fans are sanctioned for making literal monkey noises at black players, it's ridiculous to assert that there's no context of racism here.

[Lostbeyondwords]

So you think h&m purposely picked a mother who may not be aware of the possible connotations, so that they could sell an allegedly racist bit of clothing? That's a bit far fetched.

Universally, kids behave like little monkeys, and monkeys live in the jungle. It's an innocent statement. It's not racist unless you make it so. People always go on about not being allowed to be offended about something if the person who you think should be offended by it, is not offended. Well there you are, the mother of the litteral poster boy, says get over it.

[DreamyMcDreamy]

Anyone with any knowledge of history at all and the slave trade would know yes, it is racist and bloody stupid to put a black boy in a monkey jumper and a white one in the "survival expert" jumper.

[Soubriquet]

For goodness sake

It's a jumper. Both kids are wearing it. One black, one white.

Mum doesn't find it racist.....I echo her with the get over it.

Every little thing now is made an issue when there isn't one!

[ItsAllABitStrangeReally]

I agree with her.

I'm not black, but I don have a disabled child so in a minority as such.

Every time we leave the house pretty much someone will.do something that could be considered disablist. Often unwittingly, sometimes on purpose. I choose to ignore these slights because in the grand scheme of things they're not an issue. We have to be careful we don't bury big issues under to my grains of sand so the rocks become hidden and people just don't want to know.......

We ourselves had a 'rock issue recently. My son was directly and cruelly targeted.

I took action, I got witnesses and the offender is in court this month.

Tackle real incidents of racism, clumsy fuck ups need to be treated as just that

[squoosh]

It's strange to me the amount of white people who are so irate at anyone who thinks putting a 'cheekiest monkey in the jungle' hoodie on a black child is a problematic. True head in the sand stuff.

[LemonSqueezy0]

She's possibly feeling pressured to say that, or doesn't realise the context.

I think H and M should have been more aware, as it is an issue to put a black boy in a monkey top. There's a certain privilege at play when you say you don't have an issue with it so let's all move on.

[Aeroflotgirl]

She as the boys mother is totally entitled to her views. Though the full slogan was inappropriate, cheeky monkey would have been better.

[MissionItsPossible]

I did say this when another user mentioned children had to be chaperoned and weren't in danger and why didn't the parents say anything. I said the child wasn't in danger, the child was wearing a top, and that maybe the parents didn't notice/don't care. Which it seems the mother doesn't.

[WomanEmpire]

It's coolest monkey, firstly. And the other boy was in a 'survival expert' t shirt. Not the same one.

No I don't think they deliberately picked her/her son for that reason. But clearly someone at that shoot must've thought 'this could go down badly' and then thought that they could get away with it.

At what point was I patronising? And why have you assumed that I am white? I am, but my DP is black and my children are mixed race, and he's fucking outraged.

[Aeroflotgirl]

Hi i can't stand that people are saying she was put under pressure, what crap. Don't be so bloody patronising, just because she has views you don't agree with!

[sunflowersandroses]

some of the ignorance on this thread is outrageous. it was deeply offensive, and people including myself, have every right to be outraged.

[Lucylululu]

In my opinion it's NOT racist to let a black child wear a T-shirt with a monkey on it. It IS racist to imply that a black child shouldn't be allowed to wear a T-shirt with a monkey on it.

[FreddieClaryHorshieLion]

Maybe she was pressured to say that. maybe she didn’t understand why some see it is racist or problematic.


But it’s also possible that she genuinely doesn’t think it’s racist. Not because she’s ignorant, or pressured etc. But simply because she - as an adult human being - has thought about it, considered the relevant facts and came to this conclusion.

[McTufty]

I thought the advert was offensive to black people, and it sounds like many black people (whose opinion matters most on this) thought so.

This mother does not have a mandate to speak for the black community, it’s fair enough if she is ok with the jumper but she doesn’t have any standing to dictate that other people have to be too.

[UnitedKungdom]

I think it's a pity so many people are expending so much energy making a point that a black child shouldn't be called a monkey. It unfortunately makes it racist where it wasn't before. Now every child in the country knows a new way to be racist when it probably never would have occurred to them before.

[UnitedKungdom]

I agree with Lucy.

[LemonScentedStickyBat]

Am really uncomfortable with the way some people are saying that if you see a problem with this, then you are the racist. It’s like those who claim they are ‘colour blind’ when it comes to people. Well good for you but I do see colour and I am aware of the racial slurs that are used against people of colour. Cannot for the life of me see how having awareness makes me a racist.

[MissionItsPossible]

But do those in the community that are offended trump those that aren't? People who are offended have platforms to voice it. People that aren't have the same platforms but often don't because they're not bothered.

[noeffingidea]

She shouldn't have been put in that position in the first place. The professionals who worked on the campaign should have been aware that many black people would find it deeply offensive and put the boy in a different top.