Blackface by Gucci

     Earlier this year, sometime during February, Gucci released a clothing a highly controversial piece of clothing; The "Balaclava knit top." As soon as the sweater was shown on their website, the internet was outraged. Before I explain why this top was so offensive, here is an image of the sweater, from the Gucci website, for those who haven't seen it:

Source: The Washington Post

     Just by observing this image, I'm sure you are thinking exactly what the rest of the internet was thinking when they first saw this: "Did Gucci seriously just release a blackface-themed sweater?!" This sweater is absolutely, blatantly racist. The red lips and the black face cover are what have gotten Gucci in such big trouble for this item. If you have ever seen anyone do blackface, you understand how this looks like exactly that; a white face covered in black with outrageously enlarged red lips. To make matters worse, this controversy arose during February, Black History Month, which is probably the absolute worst time of the year to have a racism controversy. This only made things worse for Gucci when the controversy began to spread.
     The internet was quick to call out this disaster of a top; some people called for a boycott of the brand, while others wanted to burn all of their products. The Gucci executives were shocked by this uproar, and even claimed that the sweater had been on the shelves for several months with no complaints. In the midst of threats and hatred being sent towards Gucci, the company issued an apology:

Source: Canadian Content

     Even after this public apology, the internet had mixed feelings about the situation. Many were quick to forgive and return to flaunting their favorite Gucci products, however, many others were still outraged. Some didn't think an apology was enough to let them off the hook for something so racist; many still wanted Gucci to be boycotted. Even to this day, plenty of people are outraged that Gucci could continue to be successful after this scandal, especially considering it was all during Black History Month, of all times. But, overall, most people have let it slide by, but this scandal has certainly tainted Guccis reputation.

     As for my personal opinion, I am disappointed in Gucci, but I am definitely not surprised. Scandals like this amongst high-end brands are not uncommon; Prada's red-lipped monkey, Zara's blackface figurine necklace, or their swastika t-shirt, Moncler's blackface jacket, Katy Perry's blackface shoes, Burberry's brown sweatshirt with a noose on it...

     This happens far too often, especially considering it is 2019, and it is way too easy to get away with things like this. But I also know why they would do it: because any publicity is publicity, right? At least these high-end companies would think so. When products as controversial as the Balaclava top are released, they go viral. Within hours, the name of the company is on every news channel and being blasted on every social media platform. There is no way to blow up faster than creating controversy, which would explain why all of these high-end, supposedly respectable and prestigious brands release these insulting products.

     Some may disagree, and actually, whole-heartedly believe that these companies are innocent and these items are just unique designs misinterpreted. But after observing the pattern in so many well-known, pristine brands releasing these scandalous products, the notion that these designers don't know what their doing, as well as the notion that these companies aren't just seeking publicity, becomes harder and harder to believe. 

( website link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/i-was-the-person-who-made-the-mistake-how-gucci-is-trying-to-recover-from-its-blackface-sweater-controversy/2019/05/06/04eccbb6-6f7d-11e9-8be0-ca575670e91c_story.html?utm_term=.7361b9d03dbb )