British supermarket ‘Sainsbury‘s has come under fire for offering customers the ’12 Years a Slave’ look, doing so in celebration of the movie’s DVD release in the market.
Details on their surprising stunt below…
The Independent reports:
For reasons unknown, an Oxford branch of the supermarket embellished its DVD and Blu-ray stand for Steve McQueen’s film about the horrors of slavery with a mannequin wearing a similar outfit to that of protagonist Solomon Northup.
Looking defiantly summer-ready, the mannequin wears a loose-fitting, holey beige shirt and black trousers, completing the look with a twig in the front pocket.
Backed by spindly branches and standing next to a plaque that shouts ‘NEW’, it wears a tag around its neck bearing the price of the recently-released DVD, suggesting the clothes themselves aren’t for sale, though the juxtaposition is a strange one nonetheless.
In response to their alleged trivialisation of slavery, a company spokesperson shared:
We can only apologise. It’s been taken down from the Heyford Hill store and clearly should never have gone up in the first place.
these idiots
such a good movie… dumb
zzz
This headline is incredibly misleading and exactly the kind of thing that perpetuates these race rows… The mannequin was dressed in costume matching that of the lead character to promote the dvd release. In our ridiculously over sensitive society this probably wasn’t sainsburys the smartest idea but as a black man do I think it’s racist? Absolutely not
The clothed mannequin is a happily cheap representation of the movie’s well studied and complex view of slavery and racism, which is why it needed to go. This is another reason why stores are only supposed to use the signage and marketing materials provided to them by the film’s distributor.
It’s stupid it’s cheap and it’s tacky but I don’t find it offensive, it’s laughable if anything. It’s certainly not racist as the media will encourage us to believe
It’s not racist?
The entire issue behind slavery was that men and women of African descent were considered lesser-valued human beings who could be bought and sold.
That mannequin is a representation of not just the main character but also slaves as a whole who would be brought on stage and sold as if they were cattle.
And you don’t think it’s racist? Smh, you’re exactly the type they love, too simple to know when they’re spitting in your face.
Looks fairly fashionable to me, but that’s probably because I’m a fan of loose fabrics.
Disgusting!…. People are ignorant
No people are overly sensitive yet will be the first ones to call someone a cracker. I’m sick of black people whining about EVERYTHING. D*mn just live in PEACE for at least ONE month without finding some reason to be mad. D*mn!
Black people whining about everything? Or black people noticing everything that’s said about them? You have the nerve to assume that only black people would be offended by this and that there is some kind of quota that says that black people can only me mad at a certain number of things per month.
I hate to curse, but F*** you. Slavery was one of the, if not the MOST traumatic horrific thing in world history and 200 years haven’t even passed since it was abolished, which means the wounds it caused are still very much open.
Think about that before you accuse us of “finding a reason to be mad.” B****.
@BarbBey OH b*tch please. Dressing up a mannequin is ssssooooo dramatic. Yes slavery was a horrific moment in time but d*mn after EVERYTHING black people have overcome and accomplished, the need to “protest” over THIS is ridiculous. But what about education in the black community? WHat about the poor living conditions in urban neighborhoods here in the US, oh THAT’S not a cause of concern but THIS is…ok
Yes because slavery and issues of fascism magically disappeared.
Ooh look at it! Understanding and total racial equality just happened! OMG there’s no discrimination and blacks aren’t undervalued! Hah, let’s absolutely pretend everythings okay because we all know it isn’t racist unless there’s a cross burning on your lawn!
Dumb b****.
I’m sorry but LOL
whose idea was that? crazy
CTFU
Exactly like my kelly rowland nickname.
Couldn’t they even make the mannequin black!? Cha!
Oh boo hoo cry me a f*ckin river. Black people whine and cry about EVERYTHING nowadays. Can’t even say the color BLACK to describe a shoe without Al going to the NAACP. Overly sensitive mess.
Smh, you’re either dumb or self-hating. Could be both.