Gap has apologized over an ad for its kids clothing line that people said was racist
Will Heilpern
gap kids 'passive racism'Gap/TwitterGap pulled this ad.
Gap has apologized over an ad for its Ellen DeGeneres kids clothing line after the ad was called racist by some Twitter users.
The #GapKidsxED campaign ad showed two white girls in impressive acrobatic positions, while a black girl stood passively as a third white girl used her head as an armrest.
The photo was shared with the caption: "Meet the kids who are proving that girls can do anything."
The photo was quickly met with a backlash from Twitter users:
@GapKids proving girls can do anything... unless she's Black. Then all she can do is bear the weight of White girls. #EpicFail
— Fatima La'Juan Muse (@TheTherapyDiva) April 2, 2016
@GapKids Thanks for perfectly illustrating what 'passive racism' looks like in mainstream media. #DiversiryFail She is NOT your arm rest.

— Jasmine Wow (@Jmo120) April 3, 2016
Debbie Felix, a Gap Kids representative, apologized.
She told the Daily Mail Online on Monday: "As a brand with a proud 46-year history of championing diversity and inclusivity, we appreciate the conversation that has taken place and are sorry to anyone we've offended."
Felix added: "We are replacing the image with a different shot from the campaign, which encourages girls (and boys) everywhere to be themselves and feel pride in what makes them unique."
As of Tuesday, however, the tweet containing the photo in question had still not been deleted from Gap Kids' Twitter account:
As the debate about whether the ad was racist unfolded on Twitter, NFL player turned filmmaker Matthew Cherry pointed out another, older Gap Kids ad, in which a black girl used a white girl as an armrest.
http://www.businessinsider.com/gap-has-apologized-over-an-ad-for-its-kids-clothing-line-that-people-said-was-racist-2016-4/
