Candles that look like KKK hoods won’t be on NJ shelves
Were Bath & Body Works giving new meaning to a "white" Christmas?
The company says in no way were they trying to offend anyone when certain holiday candles with labels meant to look like paper snowflakes hit store shelves. They’re now being pulled off those shelves nationwide after a number of complaints hit social media.
It’s not known how many of these candles may have been briefly on shelves at stores here in New Jersey, but they have dozens of Garden State locations, according to their website.
The problem? Many say the candle’s label, even if unintentional, resembled the white hoods the Ku Klux Klan wore. So much so, in some people’s opinion, they were being referred to as Klandles.
How much did these Snowed In three-wick candles resemble the hoods worn by the white supremacist group? You be the judge. Here’s a side-by-side on Instagram.
People have been commenting on both sides of the issue.
“Nobody caught it because it’s a paper snowflake. People are looking for reasons to be outraged, lol," said one person on social media, according to USA Today.
"People claiming they can't see it are gaslighting. It’s staring at you right in the face,” another posted.
In a statement, the company put out the requisite mea culpa.
"At Bath & Body Works, we are committed to listening to our teams and customers and committed to fixing any mistakes we make – even those that are unintentional like this one. We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward."
It’s a bit hard to unsee once you’re looking for it. I hope this wasn’t the first assignment of a young graphic artist. It might be hard to come back from.
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