H&M apologizes, removes ad accused of sexualizing school children
Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M has found itself in hot water for an ad accused of sexualizing school children.
The online ad launched in Australia featured two young girls onboard a pink school bus. The pair are dressed in matching grey pleated pinafores and looking over their shoulders.
“Make those heads turn in H&M’s Back to School fashion,” reads the ad.
The campaign has drawn fierce criticism online, with many pointing out that the ad objectifies and sexualizes underage girls.
In a post on X, Australian writer Melinda Tankard Reist asked, “Why would you want to fuel the idea that little girls should draw attention to their looks, bodies and ‘style’?”
The little girls parents generally prefer heads don’t ‘turn’ when others see their daughters walking to school, on a bus or in class. Why would you want to fuel the idea that little girls should draw attention to their looks, bodies and ‘style’? 2/
— Melinda TankardReist (@MelTankardReist) January 18, 2024
Another X user stated that it’s “deeper than just turning heads.”
It’s deeper than just turning heads. The whole image is sexualised from the ethnicity of the girls, their pose and are their legs oiled?
— sasca sasca (@sascara) January 18, 2024
The look in their eyes, as well as their side glance. Everything about this is sexualized to the hilt.
— McFly Felis silvestris catus (@xylocat) January 18, 2024
H&M’s customer service account replied, stating that it’s “deeply sorry for the offence” caused by the campaign.
This ad has now been removed. We are deeply sorry for the offense this has caused and will look into how we present campaigns going forward.
— H&M Customer Service (@hm_custserv) January 19, 2024
Similarly, in 2022, luxury fashion brand Balenciaga came under fire for a controversial ad campaign that featured children.
The brand had people fuming due to an ad campaign that featured photos of children holding teddy bears that seemed to be dressed in S&M and bondage gear.
H&M isn’t the only fast fashion brand that’s had to deal with backlash recently.
In December, Zara found itself in the eye of a social media storm after sharing photos of an ad campaign that many stated looked similar to images from the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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