Converse apologized and pulled a social media sneaker ad featuring K-pop singer Karina after intense online backlash. Critics accused the lighting and styling of evoking Ku Klux Klan hoods and a lynching victim, drawing condemnation from civil rights attorneys, actors, and a U.S. congressman.
The sneaker brand, owned by Nike, removed the image from its channels after critics across social media questioned how the promotional material cleared corporate vetting. The advertisement, posted on September 3, showed K-pop singer Karina holding a pair of Chuck 70 X high-top sneakers while wearing a skirt. Viewers quickly pointed out that the lighting on her garment created a white triangle resembling a KKK hood, while the dangling placement of the shoes evoked the imagery of a lynching victim.
Converse Issues Apology as Backlash Mounts Over Sneaker Ad
Following days of heavy criticism on platforms like Threads and Instagram, Converse issued a statement acknowledging the offensive nature of the campaign.
“We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong. We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened and we will do better.”
Converse, in a statement to CBC News
According to Global News, the company operates out of Boston and did not immediately provide additional details regarding its internal ad-screening process or explain how the campaign received approval prior to publication. Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment Group, did not immediately respond to messages sent through their Instagram accounts.
Lawmakers and Civil Rights Advocates Demand Accountability
Public condemnation stretched far beyond general social media users, drawing sharp rebukes from prominent public figures and legal experts. U.S. Rep. Troy Carter released a lengthy statement condemning the campaign.
“Do not insult our intelligence by dismissing this as an unfortunate misunderstanding. An advertising campaign does not just appear. It is conceived, photographed, reviewed, approved and distributed. At every stage, someone had the opportunity — and the responsibility — to say no.”
U.S. Rep. Troy Carter
Carter labeled the promotional material racist, reckless and deeply offensive
and called on both Nike and Converse to explain how the imagery passed corporate checks. Actor Yvette Nicole Brown also flagged the post on Threads, writing plainly, That’s a lynching, yes?
Texas-based civil rights attorney Lee Merritt argued that a corporate apology falls short of addressing the institutional failure behind the campaign. Writing on Instagram, Merritt stated that the apology doesn’t undo what got past legal, marketing, and leadership at every step,
emphasizing that the visual elements were intentionally styled, lit, and approved by a creative team.
Broader Context of Traumatic Imagery and Recent Corporate Missteps
The controversy arrives as communities across the Southern U.S. grapple with recent deaths involving Black individuals found hanging from trees. Over the preceding two years, about a half-dozen Black women and men have been found hanged in the region. While local police forces sometimes ruled certain cases suicides quickly, the findings elicited historical skepticism from families and advocates pointing to limited evidence. For many Black Americans, ropes and nooses carry the heavy, traumatic legacy of vigilante violence and lynching.
Media reports also surfaced concerning a second Converse ad posted on the brand’s Malaysia Instagram account, which allegedly featured a man climbing a wooden ladder to reach shoes dangling from a tree. While digital copies circulated widely online, news outlets noted they could not independently verify the original post before publication.
The incident places Converse alongside several other major brands that faced recent backlash over racially insensitive marketing or product choices. Retailer Target removed a children’s Halloween costume following social media criticism over minstrel caricatures, while American Eagle and actor Sydney Sweeney faced scrutiny last year over an ad campaign critics linked to eugenics messaging. Previous high-profile retail controversies include Gucci apologizing in 2019 for a sweater resembling blackface and H&M issuing an apology in 2018 for featuring a Black child in a sweatshirt bearing the phrase coolest monkey in the jungle.
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