IKEA Postpones 2021 Catalog’s Release Due To Photo That Can Be Seen As ‘Racist’
Image via Hadrian / Shutterstock.com
IKEA has pushed back the release of its 2021 catalog due to a potentially “racist” image featured in its pages.
According to Quartz, the furniture store found an image in the middle of the 296-page book “that could be misinterpreted.” The photo, meant to highlight the company’s TaskRabbit furniture assembly service, is said to feature a young Black man donning a shirt with a sequence of numbers printed on the back.
An IKEA employee pointed out that the shirt design could resemble a serial number of a prison inmate’s uniform, and this might lead to a negative stereotype of Black children, Quartz reported.
IKEA immediately removed the image and updated it with a new one for its print and digital ads.
The updated image of its digital catalog shows a Black man looking puzzled as he reads IKEA’s parts and instructions, something that most of its customers can relate to when piecing its furniture together.
“After reviewing the photo, we agree that it could lend itself to negative interpretation and reinforce negative stereotypes,” IKEA said. It said that with diversity and inclusion in its core values, the company “strive[s] to be a positive change in society.”
“An important part of advocating for change is acknowledging and taking action when we get it wrong. We are committed to doing so in an open and transparent way,” it continued.
[via Quartz, cover image via Hadrian / Shutterstock.com]
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