A new commercial advertisement video via Gap Kids and talk show host Ellen Degeneres has many folks outraged as members of the ‘Le PeTiT Cirque’ excluding the black dancer was given camera time to speak and showcase their talents.
In the one-minute video, the young black girl sits motionless [near her peers] during the Q&A session as Ellen questions the other girls. The same occurs during the six second featured performance, the black girl is completely absent. It’s quite obvious in the video, and one point it does seem as though the young girl was attempting to speak while she was sort of ‘shunned from the conversation.
To add insult to injury, the main campaign ad only set fire to the flames. The group photo, shows an older white child leaning on the head of a Black trapeze artist, and that was enough to let folks sound off on social media.
News flash @GapKids, Girls proving they can do anything IS NOT a black girl being an armrest #EpicFail #GapKidsxED pic.twitter.com/fqPV9DaUKo
— Jamise Harper (@JamiseHarper) April 3, 2016
Little Black girls are not furniture for little white girls though, @GapKids. #GapKidsxED https://t.co/qj2APlFv5f
— Audra Williams (@audrawilliams) April 3, 2016
Effing seriously? The positioning of the #BlackGirlArmrest pose is utterly insulting who DIDNT see this? #GapKidsxED https://t.co/SyNMMnWzZj
— Toronto Princess (@TorontoGurl13) April 3, 2016
So many questions going through my head🤔😒😒 #GapKidsxED #NotYourArmrest https://t.co/IvhoYHb1VI
— Project N/A (@ProjectNonApp) April 3, 2016
meet the kids who are proving that girls can do anything.
check out #GapKidsxED: https://t.co/qbR13BsWIL pic.twitter.com/e47gVghHt0
— GapKids (@GapKids) April 2, 2016
Interestingly, Gapkids commerical video shows quite the contrary. This is a ‘horrible’ message to brown girls everywhere and I can’t help to wonder if this was intentionally motivated by the ‘AD team’ . It seems that the marketing ploy was to include ‘diversity’ because ‘the black dollar’ is certainly on their consumer’s list, but there was lack or respect for their black consumers was null and void.
Here we have a young black girl centered in the photo as a damn ‘prop’ than a featured talent but Gapkids says there message shows that girls can do anything.
Dear Gapkids: What Girls Are You Trying To Convey Your Message To?
The commercial video shows quite the contrary. And the campaign photo was yet another slap in the face by white supremacy. It certainly doesn’t show that ‘blackgirls’ can do anything . By placing the only black girl to be an ‘armrest’ beneath the taller and older white girl is shameful in every way. I think I speak for many mothers of daughters when I say:
This Is Not The Message That We’re Trying To Convey To Our Daughters, So Thanks But No Thanks!
One Love PLUMS!