Ralph Lauren clothing maker has sparked the furor of Native American groups over an ad seen so offensive that it’s been dubbed “the genocide aesthetic” in a critical tweet.
The advertisement features what appears to be a stoic Native American dressed in Western wear. Ruth Hopkins, a writer for the Last Real Indians website, said the images were ignorant and reminded of a time of oppression — even genocide, CNN reported.
“What many people alive today fail to realize is natives of the assimilation era wore western clothes because they were forced to do so,” she wrote, referring to the attempt to “Americanize” the indigenous people, CNN said.
She said Ralph Lauren ought to pull the ads and started a new hashtag — #BoycottRalphLauren — to help further her point.
Others in the Native American community were outraged, too.
“@RalphLauren My relatives were taught that our cultures had no value in the era you glorify,” wrote one with the handle of @EmmyNawjoopinga, CNN reported. “#StopCulturalGenocide #BoycottRalphLauren.”
And Frank Wain tweeted: “This week in colonial propaganda masquerading as history, we have Ralph Lauren with the genocide aesthetic.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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