Lovelies, today's post is going to be very different from my other posts as we're going to be talking about something that I try to avoid talking about--anything controversial.
I'm sure by now we've all heard about the recent event with H&M and their ad that they took down featuring an article of their children's clothing. If not, you can research it and then come back here because I'm simply covering where I stand with the brand now since many of you know H&M has been one of my favorite brands since I was 14 (I'm currently 19).
As a consumer, knowing about the history of brands and companies that I buy from is very important to me, but it is even more important to me as an influencer because people ask me for my opinion, shop from the places I recommend, etc.. I also work with ShopStyle Collective which allows me to earn commission on some of my favorite products by my favorite brands when you all click on the links I share; I can't tell you how much this means to me that you take the time to read my blog and support me, so I want to make sure that I'm only sharing what I stand by and believe in.
I'm quick to defend what I love, but I cannot defend H&M this time. What they said was offensive, and your gut instinct is always right. I say this to say that, if I analyze it, I could convince myself that what H&M said was misconstrued and that they couldn't possibly have meant any harm, but my gut told me that they knew better. That they knew this would cause an uproar. But they didn't care.
H&M released an apology that you can read here. I believe it to be vague if you don't have prior knowledge to the situation, and I don't accept it. It honestly could not be more corporate and fake. In this day and age, there is no excuse for such ignorance. Check out their board of directors here. Not one minority...is there anything I really need to say about this?
The boy's mom still stands by H&M, and that's okay. I don't. And neither does The Weeknd, who has collaborated with the brand in the past, or G-Eazy who cancelled his collaboration.
That being said, I'm not getting rid of any of my clothing from H&M. I paid good money for it, and I bought it because I liked it. Donating it would take a huge chunk out of my closet as I mentioned that H&M was one of my favorite brands, so I'm keeping the clothing, and you may still see me wear it on here or my other platforms. Though I am no longer supporting H&M due to this issue, I am no longer supporting H&M due the fact that they've never really been what I thought they were when I did some extensive research on the brand (I will share the video with you that was shared with me if I can find it).
Not to go too off subject, but H&M is not the only brand I am no longer supporting. If you are subscribed to my YouTube channel, then you know that I am no longer supporting Too Faced due to everything that went down in their collaboration with Nikkie Tutorials. I also know that nothing is perfect, and brands I support now may very well turn into brands I don't support in the future. There are also brands and influencers that I support that I know others don't. For example, I support Jeffree Star even though some of my following doesn't. Nonetheless, I've done my extensive research on Jeffree Star, and I do accept his apology as I connected to what he said on a human level as opposed to reading a few sentences written by corporate. And your gut instinct is always right. I forgive Jeffree, the person, because what he said was said more than a decade ago, I felt he was sincere with his apology, and we all have said something offensive. Everyone has said something offensive, but we are forgiven for it when we aren't in the limelight. The same people who hate Jeffree for what he said are the same people who curse people out, call people fat or ugly, etc.. Wrong is wrong. I am not extending the same grace to H&M as H&M is a brand that had a product that passed by endless amounts of people who all felt that it was okay to go through with. And those people are hiding behind those few corporate sentences.
Back to H&M; I don't hold anger in my heart, but disappointment as this brand will no longer be able to light up my eyes.
Thank you lovelies,
Unleash your magic.
R'Nelle CyRe' XX
As a consumer, knowing about the history of brands and companies that I buy from is very important to me, but it is even more important to me as an influencer because people ask me for my opinion, shop from the places I recommend, etc.. I also work with ShopStyle Collective which allows me to earn commission on some of my favorite products by my favorite brands when you all click on the links I share; I can't tell you how much this means to me that you take the time to read my blog and support me, so I want to make sure that I'm only sharing what I stand by and believe in.
I'm quick to defend what I love, but I cannot defend H&M this time. What they said was offensive, and your gut instinct is always right. I say this to say that, if I analyze it, I could convince myself that what H&M said was misconstrued and that they couldn't possibly have meant any harm, but my gut told me that they knew better. That they knew this would cause an uproar. But they didn't care.
H&M released an apology that you can read here. I believe it to be vague if you don't have prior knowledge to the situation, and I don't accept it. It honestly could not be more corporate and fake. In this day and age, there is no excuse for such ignorance. Check out their board of directors here. Not one minority...is there anything I really need to say about this?
The boy's mom still stands by H&M, and that's okay. I don't. And neither does The Weeknd, who has collaborated with the brand in the past, or G-Eazy who cancelled his collaboration.
That being said, I'm not getting rid of any of my clothing from H&M. I paid good money for it, and I bought it because I liked it. Donating it would take a huge chunk out of my closet as I mentioned that H&M was one of my favorite brands, so I'm keeping the clothing, and you may still see me wear it on here or my other platforms. Though I am no longer supporting H&M due to this issue, I am no longer supporting H&M due the fact that they've never really been what I thought they were when I did some extensive research on the brand (I will share the video with you that was shared with me if I can find it).
Not to go too off subject, but H&M is not the only brand I am no longer supporting. If you are subscribed to my YouTube channel, then you know that I am no longer supporting Too Faced due to everything that went down in their collaboration with Nikkie Tutorials. I also know that nothing is perfect, and brands I support now may very well turn into brands I don't support in the future. There are also brands and influencers that I support that I know others don't. For example, I support Jeffree Star even though some of my following doesn't. Nonetheless, I've done my extensive research on Jeffree Star, and I do accept his apology as I connected to what he said on a human level as opposed to reading a few sentences written by corporate. And your gut instinct is always right. I forgive Jeffree, the person, because what he said was said more than a decade ago, I felt he was sincere with his apology, and we all have said something offensive. Everyone has said something offensive, but we are forgiven for it when we aren't in the limelight. The same people who hate Jeffree for what he said are the same people who curse people out, call people fat or ugly, etc.. Wrong is wrong. I am not extending the same grace to H&M as H&M is a brand that had a product that passed by endless amounts of people who all felt that it was okay to go through with. And those people are hiding behind those few corporate sentences.
Back to H&M; I don't hold anger in my heart, but disappointment as this brand will no longer be able to light up my eyes.
Thank you lovelies,
Unleash your magic.
R'Nelle CyRe' XX