H&M pulls ad after complaints over sexualisation of school girls

LONDON - Fashion retailer H&M has withdrawn an ad featuring school girls after complaints that the campaign encouraged the sexualisation of under-age girls.

The advert, launched in Australia, featured the slogan: "Make those heads turn in H&M's Back to School fashion" above a photo of two girls wearing gray H&M pinafore dresses.

"We have removed this ad," an H&M spokesperson said on Monday (Jan 22). "We are deeply sorry for the offence this has caused and we are looking into how we present campaigns going forward.

"The fashion retailer's shares hit a two-month low, down 1.4 per cent by 3.40pm GMT (11.40pm GMT+8), underperforming peers.

H&M's rowback is the latest in a string of missteps by fashion brands leading to adverts backfiring. In December, Zara pulled a campaign featuring statues wrapped in white, after calls for a boycott and protests over a perceived resemblance to images from the war in Gaza.

ALSO READ: Hamas has not made a solid deal offer, says Netanyahu to Gaza hostage kin

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.