AH, Adidas, what a performance! It is as if it has stumbled drunkenly into the murky depths of corporate faux pas.
In a stunning leap backward, the sportswear giant decided it was a grand idea to “revise” their Olympic trainer campaign starring none other than Bella Hadid, after some uproarious backlash from the pro-Israeli gallery. Because being Palestinian is all it takes to ignite a firestorm these days.
The controversy kicked off with Adidas relaunching their SL72 trainers, originally designed for the ‘72 Munich Olympics – a game marred by the tragic massacre of 11 Israeli athletes. Enter Bella Hadid, a Palestinian-American supermodel, chosen to front the campaign. Cue the outrage. Israeli government accounts and their supporters cry foul, linking Hadid to the decades-old atrocities simply because of her heritage.
So, what does our corporate titan do? It grovels, apologises for causing “upset and distress”, and scrambles to airbrush Hadid out of the picture – well, not entirely, since her images still grace their US website. But lo, the damage is done.
Meanwhile, other campaign stars such as footballer Jules Kounde and rapper ASAP Nast, remain unscathed, untouched and unquestioned. If this is not a masterclass in selective racism, what is?
Adidas, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that a supermodel with Palestinian blood must be the unwitting mascot for terrorism. Forget that she was born a quarter-century after the Munich tragedy, logic is merely a spectator in this absurd theatre of the absurd.
This is not just a faux pas, it is a full-blown faceplant into the realm of racial discrimination, a slapstick tragedy played out on the global stage.
As the social media warriors rightly put it: this is not just an oversight, it is a glaring and blatant act of racism. Adidas may as well have shouted it from the rooftops.
And, as calls for a boycott echo through the chambers of social media, one must wonder – will Adidas ever lace up their sneakers and run straight out of the past or are they destined to keep tripping over their own laces? Stay tuned.
The writer is an accomplished writer and entrepreneur with a deep passion for politics and international affairs. As a world traveller, his global experiences greatly enhance his photography and literary work, providing unique insights and perspectives that captivate his audience.
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