Bath & Body Works had to pull its holiday-inspired candle for its resemblance to the KKK uniform.
On Oct 8, an American specialty retailer went viral for all the wrong reasons after social media users reacted to its “Snowed In” candle. The candle’s packaging, featuring a snowflake design against a red backdrop, quickly sparked a wave of criticism online. As Oscar Wilde once said, “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about,
and that is not being talked about” — a sentiment the retailer might not appreciate in this context. However, a closer look at the snowflake design revealed an unsettling resemblance to the infamous white hoods associated with the Ku Klux Klan, TMZ reports.“How did they not see that coming? Glad they took it down, tho. sometimes companies really need to double-check their designs before dropping them,” one person tweeted in response.
“Bath & Body Works removing that candle was a necessary move. How did that design even make it to shelves?” added someone else.
“This isn’t just a branding mistake; it’s a reminder of how sensitive cultural symbols can be. Let’s hope they take this as a lesson in awareness and responsibility.”
Amid outcry over the slip-up, Bath & Body Works issued a statement apologizing for its “unintentional” mistake.
“We are committed to listening to our teams and customers and committed to fixing any mistakes we make—even those that are unintentional like this one,” the statement read.
“We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and [are] evaluating our process [going] forward.”
This holiday misstep comes just two years after Bath & Body Works faced backlash for using African-American-inspired branding on its regular products for what seemed like a Black History Month promotion.
“Why I’m thinking Bath and Body Works have a new fragrance, and it’s the same fragrance only in kente cloth colors 🥴😪,” one X user wrote at the time.
In response, a spokesperson issued a statement that ignored the criticism, choosing instead to highlight the retailer’s donation to the National Urban League.
“We are committed to improving our culture through our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and part of that work has been to celebrate cultural milestones and moments — including Black History Month.
“We support organizations that fight against racism and inequality, including the National Urban League and the Columbus Urban League. We are donating $500,000 to support the organizations’ work.”
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