Amazon pulls ‘absolutely shocking’ slavery apparel after backlash
Amazon is facing backlash for a series of products on its site that displayed a slogan praising slavery.
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A third-party seller named Styleart recently used its Market platform to sell a number of items with the phrase "slavery gets [expletive] done" and an image of pyramids in the background. The merchandise, which has been taken down, included laptop cases, mugs, bags, T-shirts and bibs, and some of the apparel was modeled by white infants.
Many customers were outraged, and Anti-Slavery International, a human rights organization, called the flub "absolutely shocking."
Others expressed their disappointment with the company and challenged the retailer to better monitor things sold on the site. A few even threatened to boycott and cancel their accounts.
I just can't. Please tell me this is not real. It seems being racist is the way to get famous and posting racist ads is the new way to advertise your way to the top trending positions. Negative advertising is free advertising. UGGGHHH. #Amazon #SLAVERY https://t.co/h4ib78M0sV
— Oh- Twit (@OOOhTwit) January 24, 2018
If one thing is going to banjax @amazon it's their lack of curation; it's a huge free-for-all. At best the Fire stick has one bazillion pony punter apps, and at worst they sell t-shirts like this. Eugh. https://t.co/g8gbpUwM4l
— Edie Mullen (@ediemullen) January 17, 2018
AMAZON APPROVED. PERIOD. NUFF SAID. #BoycottAmazon THIS WARRANTS A BOYCOTT MORE THAN ANYTHING RN. O.M.G. SMH
— Sherri D (@DizzDizzle) January 22, 2018
What in the actual ... @amazon do better. Be better. This is so unacceptable. I read you removed the products, but they never should have been on your site. This is unacceptable.
— Ⓥ KKB (@SoWo99) January 22, 2018
Amid the criticism, Amazon pulled the clothing, releasing a statement to Reuters.
“All Marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don’t will be subject to action including potential removal of their account,” a spokesman said. “The products in question are no longer available.”
The Amazon incident occurred just weeks after H&M came under fire for posing a black child model in a hoodie that read “coolest monkey in the jungle.” The image was removed from the website and H&M issued an apology.
» RELATED: H&M apologizes for posing black child model in 'coolest monkey' hoodie
About the Author
Najja Parker is a multimedia journalist covering Black culture for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is an engaging on-air talent, who has served as a host for the newsroom’s special projects and events, such as the movie premiere of “The South Got Something To Say,” a documentary chronicling the rise of Atlanta hip-hop.
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