Bath and Body Works has issued an apology for their controversial candle design that some say clearly resembles Ku Klux Klan hoods. The image on the 3-wick “Snowed In” holiday candle packaging was supposed to convey a snowflake cut out of paper, but many people on social media compared it to the hoods and robes worn by Klansmembers.
The image on the “Snowed In” candle shows the outer edges of the snowflake are white and cone shaped, with two holes cut out near the centre.
A Bath & Body Works spokesperson said that the design was “unintentional” and that they are working to have each product completely removed from shelves in stores across North America and online.
“At Bath and Body Works, we are committed to listening to our teams and customers, and committed to fixing any mistakes we make-even those that are unintentional like this one,” a spokesperson said. “We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.”
The Ku Klux Klan is the one of the “oldest and most infamous” hate groups in the United States. The white supremacist group formed in 1865 to inflict extreme violence and inflict terror against Black Americans. According to The Anti-Defamation League the imagery of the white Ku Klux Klan hood itself has become a hate symbol and white supremacists “around the world” still put the white hood on public display, including on clothing and tattoos.
