Bath & Body Works apologized on Thursday after people on social media compared the new Snowed In snowflake candle’s design to the white hoods worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
The three-wick Snowed In candle quickly went viral on X (previously Twitter) after a user shared an image of the design, and critics called for the candle to be pulled.
People on X nicknamed the controversial candle the ‘KKKandle, the ‘scandle,’ and the ‘klandle.’
Many people called out the people behind the seasonal sconce, with one tweeting, ‘Bath & Body Works needs to fire all the people who approved this candle artwork.’
The snowflake on the candle had two holes on the side of its spindles – which according to people on X – was reminiscent of the hoods and robes worn by the white supremacist group.
Bath & Body Works apologized on Thursday after people on social media compared the new Snowed In snowflake candle’s design to the white hoods worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan
A Bath & Body Works spokesperson told TMZ , ‘We are committed to listening to our teams and customers and committed to fixing any mistakes we make – even those that are unintentional’
A Bath & Body Works spokesperson told TMZ, ‘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.’
The spokesperson said the popular mall brand is working to have this item removed and it’s no longer available on the retailer’s website.
One person tweeted, ‘Bath & Body Works removing that candle was a necessary move. How did that design even make it to shelves? This isn’t just a branding mistake; it’s a reminder of how sensitive cultural symbols can be. Let’s hope they take this as a lesson in awareness and responsibility.’
Plenty of people rushed to respond, with one saying, ‘It’s a paper snowflake buddy,’ and another adding, ‘Ridiculous, stop trying to be offended by absolutely nothing.’
One person explained, ‘It’s clearly a paper snowflake similar to what children make.’
An X user said, ‘What this is a reminder of is how utterly ridiculous hyper-offended people can be and how they see “racism” in absolutely everything. I miss the days when fools like that were laughed at and ignored.’
On Reddit, people were upset that they were damaging the candles, writing, ‘You think they would at least relabel the candles instead of completely destroying them, now that I don’t understand.’
One person tweeted, ‘Bath & Body Works removing that candle was a necessary move. How did that design even make it to shelves?’
The fashion Instagram account Diet Prada broke down the controversy and explained that this isn’t ‘the first time the company has been accused of being racially insensitive.
In February 2022, the Columbus, Ohio-based company released ‘their most popular scents covered in Kente print for Black History Month.
Many people on social media called out the brand for being performative at the time.
However, not all Instagram commenters agreed with Diet Prada and thought the candle was offensive.
One wrote ‘Its literally a snowflake,’ and another person chimed in, ‘It’s just a poorly executed design – that shouldn’t have been approved. Just lazy. Don’t think they were trying to be racially stirring, it’s just ugly.’
