UPDATE 01/03/15 8:09 AM EST:
It seems Target refuses to apologize for their offensive Annie advertisements. The company released an official statement ahead of the New Year, which partially reads:
Girls from a variety of backgrounds were featured within the campaign, reflecting that anyone can embody the spirit and character of Annie.
According to The Grio:
The Annie collection was designed to have a limited-run, and it will be out of stores by the end of this week. Most of the department store’s ads for the “Annie” line have already been taken down, Target noted.
CNN reports that Target won’t be apologizing to Wallis, but a spokesperson said the company has been in contact with the actress and her representatives about the situation.
We will keep you updated as more information surfaces.
—
There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the Annie film remake — the obvious being that Annie is played by African-American actress Quvenzhané Wallis, which pissed a lot of people off.
But the latest controversy involves superstore Target and their failure to include African-American girls in advertisements for their Annie clothing line.
Customers are angry that the in-store ads only depict Caucasian models, going so far as to start a petition at Change.org, calling the ads “whitewashed.”
The petition reads:
Your recent Annie ads and in-store displays depicts [sic] a misleading depiction of the movie as it shows a Caucasian young lady opposed to the star of the film-Quvenzhané Wallis. Though the model is quite professional, she does not speak to the relevance of the movie or main character. When the original Annie came out, everything was about Aileen Quinn or a character/person that emulated her…why not now Target? If you can show it online, show it in ALL of your stores with multiple signage with different girls not one!
It continues:
“We demand that you immediately pull those misleading ads and give Quvenzhané Wallis her due respect as well as other little girls who aspire to be like her…It would also be proper for you to apologize to Quvenzhané Wallis.”
The petition has gained over 3,400 signatures. Target has yet to issue a response.
SOURCE: New York Mag | PHOTO CREDIT: Screengrab
