Macy’s is under fire after its latest campaign depicted the traditional African-American family as a fatherless bunch. The Macy’s family Christmas pajamas ad controversy began online with snapshots of various families posing in sleepwear.
Macy’s was sure to have representation for modern families as well as those blended groups. The corporation definitely missed the mark when it came to diversity and equality. Macy’s posted a photo of an African-American family but seemingly forgot to include the patriarch of the family. A shot that did include an African-American man was one where the man was in an interracial, same-sex relationship.
“So I’m just trying to understand this advertisement Macy’s has,” one Twitter critic said. “So they make the black woman a single mother, and the black man gay AND in an IR relationship. Meanwhile, BOTH white families are traditionally structured…THROW THE ENTIRE AD AWAY.” It would certainly be interesting to understand the inspiration behind the campaign, wouldn’t it?
So I'm just trying to understand this advertisement Macy's has…. So they make the black woman a single mother, and the black man gay AND in an IR relationship. Meanwhile BOTH white families are traditionally structured…THROW THEE ENTIRE AD AWAY #Macys #Foh #NegativeStereotype pic.twitter.com/lmGTXKOZ2R
— cjack24 (@2blunt_2front) November 17, 2018
While Macy’s did not go into details about its motivation to portray African Americans in what turned out to be a controversial light, the corporation did apologize for offending the masses with its latest campaign.
“We appreciate our customers reaching out to share feedback on our holiday pajama images,” the retailer said of its latest ad fiasco. “We apologize,” a statement from Macy’s continued. “These are some of a number of images were that were intended to celebrate families and togetherness, and our intent was never to offend.”
The corporation further explained, “It’s important for us to know when we have missed the mark, and we appreciate that our customers let us know. At Macy’s, we are guided by our corporate values of Acceptance, Respect, Integrity and Giving Back. We know we are at our best when what we do fully reflects the rich diversity of our colleagues, customers, and communities nationwide. We have shared the comments with our creative team and plan will have a thorough discussion on how to be more thoughtful in the future.”
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