Designers aren’t perfect. Sometimes a designer can create a logo or product that communicates a message that nobody intended to come through. Those mistakes can sometimes be embarrassing.
Bath & Body Works recently released a line of winter-themed candles just in time for Christmas shopping. One of the candles is called “Snowed In,” and the artwork on the outside of the jar is supposed to evoke those paper cut-out snowflakes that we call made as kids.
There’s one teeny-tiny problem with the artwork. Some people say that it looks like Ku Klux Klan hoods.
Bath & Body Works apologizes for candles compared to Ku Klux Klan hood on social media: 'Not the KKKandle' https://t.co/CBrZrXG5xc pic.twitter.com/xZRnIao6IJ
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) October 12, 2024
Oof. I don’t know that I would have immediately noticed it, but now that I’ve seen it, I can’t unsee it. And neither can other consumers.
“People on X nicknamed the controversial candle the 'KKKandle, the 'scandle,' and the 'klandle,'” reports the Daily Mail. “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.'”
Not the KKK candles
— Barbara Teague👑 (@BTurnt) October 14, 2024
Bath & Body Works 😂
So I saw this article in The Cut yesterday about how Bath & Body Works had to recall a candle because of complaints of KKK imagery, and when I tell y’all I NEVER would have envisioned this 😂
— Meg (@901Meg) October 14, 2024
Folks on Reddit were calling it a klandle ☠️ pic.twitter.com/P3wQs07XGf
@bathbodyworks Bath & Body Works is apologizing and pulling a candle from its shelves and online platform after catching backlash for seemingly depicting a KKK hood-like design.👎"Really B&BW!!? If we noticed, I'm sure you did to, but you gave the "go ahead" anyway!!" pic.twitter.com/yGcP5NddPO
— Sumner (@renmusb1) October 11, 2024
Other users thought the brouhaha was much ado about nothing or that it was another case of a corporation caving to woke grievances:
Bath & Body Works took their candle off the market because some mentally sick person imagined they saw KKK hoods on the candle label. I’m not kidding. 😂🤣😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/ns3F8hbedy
— PerilousPeg (@PerilousPeg) October 12, 2024
Bath & Body Works management can't stand on their own 2 legs and defend themselves against the far left goons,.... they cower like a dog who knows they f--ked up. SICK !
— Tony 𝕏 (@tonyc920) October 14, 2024
The same people who find racism in snowflake designs will be voting in a few weeks in the U.S! 😞😞😞
— Brandon (@sooshdad) October 14, 2024
Bath & Body Works apologizes for candle after alleged likeness to Ku Klux Klan hood stirs controversy https://t.co/zBcXWp7MW9 #FoxBusiness
Bath & Body Works admits that the design was unintentional, and the company acted quickly to take the candles out of stores and off the website. The company also issued an apology.
“At Bath and Body Works, 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,” a spokesperson said. “We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.”
People might be blowing the candle design controversy out of proportion, but Bath & Body Works probably did the right thing by taking it off the market. Hopefully, the company will refine its design approval process to prevent more unfortunate mistakes like this from happening.
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