Converse Pulls Sneaker Ad Following Backlash Over Alleged Racist Imagery
Converse has withdrawn a social media advertisement featuring K-pop star Karina, a member of the girl group Aespa, following widespread criticism over imagery that critics said evoked the Ku Klux Klan and the lynching of Black Americans. The controversy has prompted calls for a boycott, demands for greater accountability and questions about the sneaker company’s advertising approval process.
The controversy centered on a photograph posted to Instagram on September 3 showing Karina wearing a skirt and holding a pair of Converse Chuck 70 X sneakers. Critics said lighting on the skirt created a white triangular shape resembling a KKK hood, while the positioning of the sneakers made them appear to resemble the dangling feet of a lynching victim.
The image quickly drew criticism across social media, with some users demanding that employees involved in creating and approving the campaign be fired. Others called for a boycott of Converse, while some commenters defended the company, arguing that the resemblance was coincidental and that the imagery was not intentionally racist.
The criticism extended to celebrities and elected officials. On September 17, actor Yvette Nicole Brown questioned the imagery in a Threads post, writing, “That’s a lynching, yes?”
The following day, Louisiana Rep. Troy Carter condemned the advertisement as “racist, reckless and deeply offensive.” He demanded that Converse and its parent company, Nike, identify who was responsible for the campaign, explain how it passed multiple stages of approval and outline what actions they intended to take beyond issuing an apology. Carter also questioned whether Black employees had participated in reviewing the advertisement and, if so, whether their concerns had been heard.
Converse issued a public apology in a statement first released Friday, September 18, announcing that it had removed the advertisement from its social media channels and was working to eliminate it from other platforms where it had appeared.
“We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong. We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened, and we will do better.”
Lee Merritt, a Texas-based civil rights attorney, also challenged the company’s response, writing on X that the controversy reflected broader failures in the corporate advertising approval process.
“A Converse ad shows a woman wearing white attire lit to form what looks like a KKK hood. Sneakers dangling beside her, read by many as lynching imagery. This wasn’t hidden. It was styled, lit, and approved by a creative team. Someone signed off on this. Converse says sorry. The image was still up hours later. An apology doesn’t undo what got past legal, marketing, and leadership at every step. We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test. Do better means catching this before it airs — not after we’re offended.”
Despite the apology, Converse has not publicly explained how the photograph received approval. On Sunday, the Boston-based company declined to answer requests for additional information about its advertising vetting procedures and the circumstances surrounding the campaign’s publication.
Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment Group, also did not immediately respond to messages sent through their respective Instagram accounts seeking comment on the controversy.
The controversy has also brought scrutiny to a separate Converse advertisement reportedly published on the brand’s Malaysian Instagram account earlier this month. According to multiple media reports, the image showed models climbing a wooden ladder toward shoes hanging from a tree, prompting additional comparisons to lynching imagery. The advertisement reportedly promoted a collaboration between Converse and the Danish brand Palmes.
CBC News reported that it had reviewed copies of the second advertisement circulating on social media but could not locate the original post and therefore could not independently verify its authenticity. The outlet said it had contacted Converse for clarification but had not received a response.
The criticism surrounding the advertisements comes against the backdrop of the United States’ history of lynching and racial violence, as well as recent cases involving Black Americans found hanging from trees in the South.
According to the Associated Press, approximately six Black men and women have been found hanged across the region over the past two years. Authorities classified some of the deaths as suicides, although certain investigations have faced scrutiny from families and community members, particularly when officials provided limited evidence to rule out foul play. The cases have differing circumstances and have not all been determined to be homicides.
The AP noted that regardless of the circumstances surrounding individual deaths, images of hanging and nooses can evoke the country’s history of lynching and racial violence, carrying considerable pain and trauma for many Black Americans.
Converse is the latest major brand to face accusations of racial insensitivity over its advertising, joining a growing list of retailers and fashion companies that have withdrawn controversial campaigns or products following public criticism.
Last month, Target withdrew a children’s Halloween costume following widespread backlash on social media. The retailer apologized for selling the garment after critics argued that its appearance evoked racist minstrel caricatures.
In 2025, American Eagle and actor Sydney Sweeney faced criticism over an advertising campaign built around a play on the words “jeans” and “genes.” Some critics accused the campaign of reinforcing white beauty standards, while others argued that its messaging evoked eugenics.
Other prominent controversies include a Gucci sweater withdrawn in 2019 after critics said its design resembled blackface, as well as an H&M advertisement featuring a Black child wearing a sweatshirt bearing the words “coolest monkey in the jungle,” for which the retailer apologized in 2018. In 2017, Dove also apologized for a body wash advertisement showing a Black woman removing her shirt to reveal a white woman underneath.
Converse, meanwhile, has been a fixture in American footwear for more than a century. Founded in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908, the company introduced what would become its signature Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker in 1917, initially marketing it as a non-skid basketball shoe.
In 1934, the company added the signature of basketball player Chuck Taylor, who had helped promote the sneaker, according to Converse’s website. The shoe subsequently became one of the brand’s defining products, with variations including the Chuck 70 X sneakers featured in the withdrawn advertisement.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
