H&M pulls ad after complaints over sexualisation of school girls
Pedestrians and shoppers walk past a branch of fashion retailer H&M in central Stockholm, Sweden, July 17, 2023.
PHOTO: Reuters file
PUBLISHED ONJanuary 23, 2024 3:07 AM
LONDON - Fashion retailer H&M has withdrawn an ad featuring school girls after complaints that the campaign encouraged the sexualisation of under-age girls.
The advert, launched in Australia, featured the slogan: "Make those heads turn in H&M's Back to School fashion" above a photo of two girls wearing gray H&M pinafore dresses.
"We have removed this ad," an H&M spokesperson said on Monday (Jan 22). "We are deeply sorry for the offence this has caused and we are looking into how we present campaigns going forward.
"The fashion retailer's shares hit a two-month low, down 1.4 per cent by 3.40pm GMT (11.40pm GMT+8), underperforming peers.
H&M's rowback is the latest in a string of missteps by fashion brands leading to adverts backfiring. In December, Zara pulled a campaign featuring statues wrapped in white, after calls for a boycott and protests over a perceived resemblance to images from the war in Gaza.
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