Converse pulled a social media advertisement featuring K-pop singer Karina after online critics asserted that studio lighting and positioning evoked Ku Klux Klan imagery and the appearance of a lynching.
Backlash Over Instagram Campaign Featuring Karina
The controversy centered on an Instagram advertisement posted by Converse to promote Chuck 70 X sneakers. The image showed Karina, a member of the K-pop group aespa managed by SM Entertainment Group, wearing a skirt alongside the footwear. According to the Associated Press, online critics argued that a white triangular shape formed by lighting on the singer’s skirt resembled a K.K.K. hood, while the angle at which she held the sneakers drew comparisons to dangling feet associated with lynching victims.
The imagery sparked swift condemnation on social media platforms, with some users questioning the brand’s internal advertising review process and calling for boycotts. Texas-based civil rights attorney Lee Merritt criticized the oversight on Instagram, stating that the company’s apology failed to address how the campaign cleared marketing and legal vetting. “We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test,” Merritt wrote, as reported by the Associated Press.
Converse Issues Public Apology and Removes Content
Converse, a subsidiary of Nike founded in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908, issued a formal statement acknowledging the offense caused by the advertisement. The company confirmed that the image had been stripped from its active platforms and that teams were working to purge it from all remaining digital spaces.
“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.”
According to the Associated Press, representatives for Converse declined to answer follow-up questions regarding how the advertising campaign was originally approved or screened before publication. Neither Karina nor her representatives at SM Entertainment Group immediately responded to media inquiries regarding the campaign.
Retail Industry Ad-Vetting Scrutiny
The incident places Converse alongside other major retailers facing public backlash over marketing materials and products perceived as racially insensitive. Last month, Target Corporation pulled a children’s Halloween costume from shelves following social media outrage over features critics argued evoked minstrel caricatures, according to the Associated Press.
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