H&M Anti-Semitic Shirt Draws Controversy, Retailer Removes It From Shelves
Fashion retailer H&M has stirred up quite a bit of controversy with its latest "fashion" release of a tank top that appears to have a skull on top of the prominent Jewish symbol, the Star of David.
For those of you who may not know, the Star of David, also known as the Shield of David, is the symbol most commonly associated with the Judaic religion. H&M's placement of a skull on top of this highly religious symbol fueled backlash among many who felt that the top garnered Jewish prejudice and created a poor representation of Jewish culture.
The shirt was first spotted by Times of Israel blogger, Eylon Aslan-Levy. Levy took a picture of the shirt and shared it on Twitter. "Why is H&M selling a vest with a skull emblazoned over a Star of David? Email Customerservice.UK@hm.com to complain," he tweeted.
Levy later took to his blog to express his extreme disgust in the fashion merchandise.
"At first I was taken aback. Then I was slightly amused, because this design was obviously a horrible mistake; then I began to wonder whether I was simply being paranoid -- perhaps only Jews immediately think of a Jewish symbol when they see two overlapping triangles, and perhaps worrying about a symbol of death emblazoned above the iconic Jewish hexagram was simply my Jewish anxiety in overdrive?"
As news of the anti-Semitic garment spread across social media, H&M quickly responded to the backlash by removing the shirt off of their shelves. The company also issued a formal apology for the offensive tank top.
"We are sincerely sorry if the T-shirt print has offended anyone, it was not our intention to provoke such a reaction."
Though it seems that H&M meant no harm in the shirt design, it does raise question about designing and how some designers may take things a bit too far.
Did you find the shirt offensive? Share your thoughts with us below.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!