H&M
People leave a H&M store in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on July 25, 2023. Retail giant Hennes & Mauritz has sued its fast-growing rival Shein in a Hong Kong court for copyright infringement, the Swedish fashion juggernaut said on July 25. Image: Arbour Crossing

Home » H&M withdraws advertisement criticized for sexualising kids

H&M withdraws advertisement criticized for sexualising kids

H&M has taken swift action in response to mounting criticism after releasing a school uniform ad that was accused of sexualising children.

H&M
People leave a H&M store in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on July 25, 2023. Retail giant Hennes & Mauritz has sued its fast-growing rival Shein in a Hong Kong court for copyright infringement, the Swedish fashion juggernaut said on July 25. Image: Arbour Crossing

Swedish fast fashion giant H&M on Tuesday said it had pulled an advert for school clothing, which critics said sexualised young girls.

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H&M SCHOOL UNIFORM CAMPAIGN

The campaign was launched in Australia and featured two young girls in school uniform with the caption “Make those heads turn in H&M’s Back to School fashion”.

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Social media users pilloried the company for the ad, which has since been withdrawn.

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“We have removed this ad,” a company spokesperson told AFP. “We are deeply sorry for the offence this has caused and we are looking into how we present campaigns going forward.”

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USERS

On the Mumsnet parenting website, user “pickledandpuzzled” asked how the advert had been approved in the first place.

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“It’s been taken down, but why aren’t these things spotted? What’s the thought process that generates these ads?”

© Agence France-Presse