Bath & Body Works apologized after customers claimed a winter themed “snowed in” candle looked like Ku Klux Klan hoods.
The retailer said it was unintentional and pulled the candles from shelves.
“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 to CNN. “We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.”
Commenters online called the candle a ‘klandle.’
CNN reported that customers who ordered the candle had their orders canceled.
The candle is being sold on eBay for $170.00.
CNN reported:
Bath and Body Works has stopped selling a candle that was emblazoned with a winter theme that many commenters online compared to a Ku Klux Klan hood.
The candle’s label, called “Snowed In,” was decorated with a stylized paper snowflake. But many people on social media compared it to the hoods and robes worn by Klansmembers. The KKK is the one of the “oldest and most infamous” hate groups in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Anti-Defamation League says that the imagery of the KKK hood itself has become a hate symbol.
The candle has since been pulled from Bath and Body Works’ website and retail locations, with the company telling CNN in a statement its design was “unintentional.”
