Black Artists Creatively Reimagine Racist H&M Ad

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Black artists have stepped up to create new versions of a racist H&M ad after the brand drew criticism for a photo on its website.

The original photo showed a black boy modeling a green hoodie reading “coolest monkey in the jungle.” The image drew ire on social media, with celebrities and activists denouncing the brand.

The Weeknd announced he was ending of his partnership with the brand over the ad. Plies stepped in with a reaction video labeling H&M as shorthand for “Horrible Merchandise.”

The Swedish company apologized for the ad, saying in a statement to NBC News that it is “deeply sorry that the picture was taken.”

Amid the backlash, black celebrities and creatives have stepped up to do what they do best: turn a horrible situation into a reason to celebrate. They took to photoshop, sketchbooks and more to reimagine the boy in the photo with crowns and pure black boy joy.

LeBron James posted a new version of the photo with a caption saying, in part, “I see a Young King!! The ruler of the world, an untouchable Force that can never be denied!” And Diddy joined in, posting on Twitter a reimagined image that in his words “put some respect on it.”

See more of our favorite remixes of the H&M image below:

A post shared by Kervin Andre (@akomicsart) on Jan 8, 2018 at 7:56am PST

A post shared by Kow (@kyle.yearwood) on Jan 8, 2018 at 10:38am PST

A post shared by Mimicgawd (@mimicgawd) on Jan 7, 2018 at 8:29pm PST

  • This article originally appeared on HuffPost.