Converse Pulls Chuck 70 X Ad After KKK Hood, Lynching Imagery Backlash
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 18
Converse Pulls Chuck 70 X Ad After KKK Hood, Lynching Imagery Backlash
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 18
Summary
Converse removed a Chuck 70 X sneaker ad from several social media accounts and websites after users said its white-clad figure and dangling feet evoked a Ku Klux Klan hood and a lynching victim.
An uncropped version circulating online sharpened that resemblance, triggering swift condemnation on Threads and other platforms soon after the image was posted.
Stephanie Schwartz, a Chicago photographer, wrote that the ad's shadow, light and composition looked deliberate, while another user linked it to an earlier Converse-Palmes image showing shoes hanging from a tree.
The campaign promoted a sneaker released globally on Aug. 27, and the image was still visible Friday on Converse's Philippines website; the Nike subsidiary did not immediately comment.