H&M Pulls ‘Creepy’ Back-to-School Ads After Backlash
H&M turned heads this month with a back-to-school advertisement in Australia.
The fast-fashion brand posted an image of two young girls in gray school uniform dresses with text that read, “Make those heads turn in H&M’s Back to School fashion.”
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Social media users quickly admonishied the Swedish fashion purveyor for sexualizing children.
X (formerly Twitter) user @Sani0144 wrote, “The caption used in the ad seems highly inappropriate and insensitive. Brands should prioritize responsible advertising, especially when it involves children.”
Other users were less gentle in their commentary, calling the advertisement “creepy,” “disgusting,’” “disturbing,” “revolting” and “sickening.”
“We are a culture lost to corporatism and pornification,” wrote user @Serena_Partrick, “This is sick.”
Australian writer Melinda Tankard Reist posted on X calling on the brand to “Come up with something that doesn’t draw attention to pre pubescent [sic] girls already struggling to thrive in a culture that values ‘lookism’ as an aspirational body goal.”
The brand apologized for the advertisement, which has since been taken down.
“This ad has now been removed,” a spokesperson for H&M told Sourcing Journal. “We are deeply sorry for the offense this has caused and will look into how we present campaigns going forward.”
H&M is not the first fashion brand to be chastised for its apparent sexualization of children. After a highly controversial 2022 Balenciaga campaign, brands have been hyper aware of their child-focused marketing campaigns.
Consumers slammed the luxury fashion brand for images that featured young children holding teddy bears in bondage gear. Balenciaga apologized for its explicit images, but consumers still associate the Kim Kardashian-backed fashion purveyor with its beary-bad mishap, and retailers and brands alike have tried to steer clear of that level of controversy.
Not long after the Balenciaga fiasco, Italian brand Benetton faced consumer dismay over its use of photographs of two young children posed in underwear. It seems H&M has overtaken the spotlight for child advertising faux pas for now.
H&M is not a stranger to facing fire for social issues. It has defended itself against class-action lawsuits over greenwashing and has long been considered a foe of PETA‘s for its consistent use of down in products.
