Bath and Body Works apologizes for selling candles that looked like Ku Klux Klan hoods

[underpants]

New York
CNN
—
Bath and Body Works has stopped selling a candle that was emblazoned with a winter theme that many commenters online compared to a Ku Klux Klan hood.

The candle’s label, called “Snowed In,” was decorated with a stylized paper snowflake. But many people on social media compared it to the hoods and robes worn by Klansmembers. The KKK is the one of the “oldest and most infamous” hate groups in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Anti-Defamation League says that the imagery of the KKK hood itself has become a hate symbol.

“At Bath and Body Works, we are committed to listening to our teams and customers, and committed to fixing any mistakes we make-even those that are unintentional like this one,” a spokesperson said. “We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.”

Commenters on Reddit jumped on the design choice, calling it a “klandle” or a “Klan Krismas Kandle.” Some people who tried ordering the candle after the controversy erupted late last week said on social media that their orders had been cancelled.


https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/14/business/bath-body-works-candle-kkk/index.html

[Prairie Gates]

1. This is why you need a diverse workforce

No way this gets out of the design phase if they had a diverse design team and managers.

(It is funny that the KKK hood is made from a literal snowflake, though. Maybe a little on the nose all around, or maybe somebody having a bit of a laugh).

[bottomofthehill]

2. They look like aliens to me.

[Bettie]

4. They did to me too

but I can see the hood thing too.

[bottomofthehill]

5. It took me a bit to get there.

I thought it was a Halloween candle with little ghosts that look more like aliens. It turns out it is a snowflake that looks like Klansmen. Poor job all around.

[Dem4life1234]

6. Aliens are colored green

It was a piss poor design.

Snowflakes don't even look like that.

They could have painted the entire snowflake not just a part of it, and then shrunk it down, it wouldn't look like klan hoods.

[Dem4life1234]

3. Someone should have told them it was a bad idea

[Jirel]

7. Oh, FFS.

This is no different than the KKKonservative KKKristians screaming about Starbucks cup designs. It is OBVIOUSLY showing a piece of a paper-cut snowflake. Not everyone experiences pareidolia the same way, or at all. I’m sure some people see nothing but an ornament, while others might see aliens or ghosts, or hoods, or a weird white-colored Deadpool cartoon, or who knows what. Sure, in an excess of caution, don’t make more of that design next time, but what a dumb reason to throw away so many thousands of candles and packaging.

[Dem4life1234]

9. It's aesthetically ugly

And kkk has an ugly history in this country nothing to dismiss.

[Ranting Randy]

8. Those are "Klandles"