Key facts
- Converse removed an advertisement after critics said it evoked imagery of Black lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan.
- The ad featured K-pop singer Karina and showed a white garment with triangular lighting resembling a KKK hood.
- Converse apologized, stating, "We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognise that we got this wrong."
- The company is working to remove the ad from all platforms where it appeared.
Converse has removed a social media advertisement and issued an apology after the image sparked outrage among critics who viewed it as evoking the Ku Klux Klan and lynching. The advertisement, posted on Instagram, featured K-pop singer Karina wearing a skirt and holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers.
Critics online pointed to a white triangular image created by lighting on the skirt, which they said resembled a KKK hood, and the way Karina held the sneakers, likening it to the dangling feet of a lynching victim.
Converse, a subsidiary of Nike, stated, "We're sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognise that we got this wrong. We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened, and we will do better."
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt commented on the incident, posting on Instagram that Converse's apology "doesn't undo what got past legal, marketing and leadership at every step." He added, "We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test. Do better means catching this before it airs — not after we're offended."