Zara ad criticised
Zara faces boycott from pro-Palestine activists over 'tone deaf' ad campaign
Fashion giant Zara is under fierce criticism from pro-Palestine activists after images were posted on the brand's Instagram of supermodel Kirsten McMenamy with a mannequin in bubble wrap
Activists are calling for a mass boycott of high street fashion giant Zara after an image was used on its Instagram that many claimed was exploiting the war in Gaza.
The brand came under scrutiny over the weekend after an image was published showing model Kirsten McMenamy posing with a mannequin wrapped in bubble wrap. While Zara has previously been known to picture models in odd stances to advertise its clothing, some people drew comparisons with the horrendous images of body bags in the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Another image showed a model standing in a wooden box surrounded by bits of debris, which some compared to images of those trapped between rubble in the current war zone. Social media users slammed the imagery as "disgusting" and "shameful" as activists against the bombing of Palestine called for a boycott of the fast fashion brand.
Hazem Harb, an artist and pro-Palestine activist, wrote in an Instagram post: "There is a sinister depravity in the commercial mind that produced this ad, while we are living a real time genocide. Using death and destruction as a backdrop for fashion is beyond sinister, its complicity and should outrage us as consumers. Boycott Zara."
Other social media users have hit out at the brand, calling the images "insensitive", "tone deaf" and even "mocking" the current situation. More than 17,000 Palestinian people have been killed in Israeli strikes prompted by Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Sarah Wilkinson wrote: "Boycott Zara after its new clothing collection features rubble and bodies, mocking the 1,000s of Palestinians being massacred by Israelis in Gaza." Another wrote: 'The most disgusting propaganda campaign ever inspired by the killing of Palestinians and the destruction of their homes. Shame on you.'
One branch of the Spain-based chain in Montreal, Canada has already been vandalised with pro-Palestine messages since the images were published. Zara, which has lost 150,000 Instagram followers since sharing the images, has how removed them from its platform, though has yet to publicly respond to the criticism.
Zara described its new clothing line on Instagram as: "A limited edition collection from the house celebrating our commitment to craftsmanship and passion for artistic expression." The Mirror has contacted Zara for a response.
It follows another big high street player also facing criticism for its 'tone deaf' Christmas campaign last month. Marks & Spencer pulled one of the images showing red, silver and green party hats strewn on a fireplace after many spotted the resemblance to the Palestinian flag.
The original image had been posted on Instagram with the caption, "This Christmas, do what you love... like saying no to paper hats" with the hashtag #LoveThismasNotThatmas - the supermarket's slogan for its campaign this Christmas. After pulling the image, the brand took to social media responding to the furore.
"Today we shared an outtake image from our Christmas clothing and home advert, which was recorded in August," a spokesperson said. "It showed traditional, festive coloured red, green and silver Christmas paper party hats in a fire grate.
"While the intent was to playfully show that some people just don't enjoy wearing paper Christmas hats over the festive season, we have removed the post following feedback and we apologise for any unintentional hurt caused."
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Discuss the controversy surrounding Zara's ad campaign and the accusations of exploiting the war in Gaza. Do you think the criticism is justified? Why or why not?
Comments
The facts of the case:
- Zara published an image showing supermodel McMenamy posing with a mannequin wrapped in bubble wrap and another image showed a model standing in a wooden box surrounded by bits of debris.
- Some people drew comparisons with the horrendous images of body bags and compared them with the pictures of rubbles in Gaza. They think that this campaign is tone deaf, disgusting and shameful.
- Pro-Palestine activists called for a mass boycott against the fast fashion brand, Zara.
- For Mr. Harb, pro-Palestine activist Zara is complicity of genocide. Other social media users said that these images are insensitive and they were mocking the Palestinian people.
- Ms Wilkinson said this campaign was inspired by the killing of Palestinians.
I have seen these images in the Daily Mirror because, after reading the text, I believed that they were a copy of the war and I was terrified but, in my opinion, they have nothing to do with the war Hamas-Israel, it´s not Gaza-Israel. These images appear in all wars, like Ukraine, all crimes, all burials and so on.
Notwithstanding, I, you and everyone, condemn all deaths of innocent people like Palestinian and Israeli children and women. I hate all wars absolutely, even the fear wars. They are a collective failure and of the human being.
See you.
I disagree with you on your final point. Unfortunately, not everyone condemns all deaths of innocents. I don't remember people protesting in the streets after the October 7th massacre, nor did they bother when Hamas came to power in 2006 and hasn't held an election since then. And the huge number of children killed can't be dismissed as mere casualties of war.
The facts of the case:
- Zara published an image showing supermodel McMenamy posing with a mannequin wrapped in bubble wrap and another image showed a model standing in a wooden box surrounded by bits of debris.
- Some people drew comparisons with the horrendous images of body bags and compared them with the pictures of rubbles in Gaza. They think that this campaign is tone deaf, disgusting and shameful.
- Pro-Palestine activists called for a mass boycott against the fast fashion brand, Zara.
- For Mr. Harb, pro-Palestine activist Zara is complicit in genocide. Other social media users said that these images are insensitive and they were mocking the Palestinian people.
- Ms Wilkinson said this campaign was inspired by the killing of Palestinians.
I have seen these images in the Daily Mirror because, after reading the text, I believed that they were a copy of the war and I was terrified but, in my opinion, they have nothing to do with the Hamas-Israel war, it´s not Gaza-Israel. These images appear in all wars, like Ukraine, all crimes, all burials and so on.
Notwithstanding, I, you and everyone, condemn all deaths of innocent people like the Palestinian and Israeli children and women. I absolutely hate all wars, even wars of fear. They are a collective failure of the human race.