British retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) has released a new collection of lingerie that the company said was partly inspired by "the global conversation on racial inequality following the horrific death" of George Floyd in the United States last year, UK media reported.
The new collection comes in five shades for different skin tones instead of the usual light hue and has new names. For example, M&S removed the name Tobacco used to describe brown underwear. The company described its previous products as "inconsistent and inadequate for all ethnicities".
Nothing neutral about it – nude lingerie, now in even more colours, styles and sizes. https://t.co/QXNzUobsLx pic.twitter.com/gl1GtrJb6l
— M&S (@marksandspencer) June 21, 2021
However, it appears that the new collection is not to the liking of many social media users.
I just puked
— double good plus “Positionality" Ken (@RundleG) June 22, 2021
A multitude of them accused the company of becoming woke…
M&S going down to a new low---you are selling underware not woke news.
— Dave Parsons Rivers (@pcclubb) June 22, 2021
the west has succumbed to a cult
— Esmak Beats (@EsmakBeats) June 22, 2021
...others thought M&S was profiting off a noble cause and advised it not to get into politics.
M&S launches new underwear range 'inspired by George Floyd' https://t.co/x5JQhrivFN
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 22, 2021
Exploiting events for the benefit of capitalism
— Jassim alwaraqi (@Jassim_alwaraqi) June 22, 2021
Still others drew attention to the criminal record of George Floyd, who served several jail terms on various charges, which included robbery, theft, drug possession, trespassing, and aggravated robbery.
That well known defender of women's rights.
— Magpietilidie (@Magpietilidie) June 22, 2021
Why has Mark and Spencer got to launch a new underwear range inspired by career criminal George Floyd big mistake.😠
— Vanessa fiel (@Vanessafield16) June 22, 2021
Companies worldwide have been reassessing their offerings following last year’s massive protests against racial discrimination and police brutality, which were sparked by the death of George Floyd.
Since then, several corporations – including Mars, Unilever, Nestle, L’Oreal, Quaker, Knorr, and Dreyer's Ice Cream – have renamed products that were perceived as racist or discriminatory. Video-streaming companies such as Netflix, HBO, and BritBox have also removed shows and movies that were deemed offensive – of which one was "Gone with the Wind", considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time.
