H&M Australia has been facing social media backlash after its latest ad was accused of sexualising children. The contentious ad features two girls dressed in matching pinafores with the caption that read: "Make those heads turn in H&M Back to School fashion."
Soon after the ad was released on social media, people were quick to point out the "pedophilic" undertones of the ad.
@hm @hmaustralia what is your intention with this sponsored Facebook ad? Little schoolgirls generally don’t want to “turn heads”. The large numbers I engage with in schools want to be left alone to learn and have fun and not draw unwanted attention to their appearance 1/ pic.twitter.com/DDwv42GeNz
— Melinda TankardReist (@MelTankardReist) January 18, 2024
We are a culture lost to corporatism and pornification.
— Billy Bragg (@Serena_Partrick) January 18, 2024
This is sick.
It is very apparent that @hm @hmaustralia are promoting pedophilia.
— John Tabor (@TacTabor) January 18, 2024
It's deeper than just turning heads. The whole image is sexualised from the ethnicity of the girls, their pose and are their legs oiled?
— sasca sasca (@sascara) January 18, 2024
The ad was taken down following the backlash and H&M promptly issued an apology.
This ad has now been removed. We are deeply sorry for the offense this has caused and will look into how we present campaigns going forward.
— H&M Customer Service (@hm_custserv) January 19, 2024
H&M is not the first fashion brand to be accused of using exploitative content in ads. In 2022, high fashion brand Balenciaga also faced tremendous backlash for its "BDSM" themed ad shoot featuring kids holding teddy bears in bondage gear.
Recently, Spanish clothing brand Zara found itself in a tough spot after its editorial photoshoot was accused of being inspired by the Gaza Strip devastation. The brand failed to pacify the angry internet hoard and was forced to pull down the controversial ad.