The Aporia · Converse pulls 'deeply upsetting' advert after backlash

Converse pulls 'deeply upsetting' advert after backlash

Read the original at BBC News ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Walker, A. (2026, September 19). Converse pulls 'deeply upsetting' advert after backlash. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crwyzj53pl1lo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Converse removed an advertisement from its Instagram account after it drew criticism for resembling Ku Klux Klan imagery and evoking disturbing historical associations. Social media users criticized the lighting in the photo, which they said looked like a white pointed hood, and noted that shoes dangling in the image resembled images of lynching victims. In response to the backlash, Converse issued an apology on Friday, acknowledging their mistake and stating they are working to remove the offending image from other platforms as well. The advertisement was part of a campaign for its Chuck 70 X trainer featuring South Korean singer Karina, launched internationally on August 27.

Written by AI on 2026-09-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Converse, an American footwear brand owned by Nike, pulled an advertisement from its Instagram account after social media users accused it of evoking Ku Klux Klan imagery. The ad featured K-pop singer Karina holding a pair of black high-top sneakers under a star-shaped spotlight while wearing a long white skirt, which critics said resembled a KKK hood and the dangling feet of a lynching victim. Converse issued an apology on August 27, stating, "This should not have happened and we will do better." The company removed the image from its channels and is working to remove it from other platforms where it appeared. CEO Aaron Cain promised to review internal processes and make necessary changes in a memo to employees seen by Bloomberg News.

Written for “Converse Ad Controversy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

Leans left

of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate

Publisher signals

68/100

BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Entertainment

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

BBC News · 4955 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Amy Walker

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🔮 "This should not have happened and we will do better," it said.

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 14 articles by Amy Walker →

Topics

American Chuck 70 X Converse Instagram Ku Klux Klan

Subjects

Converse ORG · 3× Aespa ORG · 1× American NORP · 1× Chuck Taylor ORG · 1× Instagram ORG · 1× Karina PERSON · 1× Ku Klux Klan ORG · 1× Massachusetts GPE · 1× Nike ORG · 1× South Korean NORP · 1×

Narrative

Founded in Massachusetts in the early 1900s, the popularity of Converse has skyrocketed since its Chuck Taylor sneaker was first introduced to US basketball courts in 1917.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-19

🔮 "This should not have happened and we will do better," it said.

2026-09-19 · BBC News

Converse pulls 'deeply upsetting' advert after backlash · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 0 hedged)

- Published American footwear brand Converse has pulled an advert that social media users said evoked Ku Klux Klan imagery, saying it recognised "that we got this wrong". asserted

this → publish → imagery

The photo, posted to the company's Instagram account, received backlash online after critics described lighting in the image as looking like a white pointed hood. asserted

critics → post → hood

A pair of shoes, dangling in the picture, were also likened to an image of a lynching victim by social media users. asserted

pair → dangle → users

In an apology, first issued on Friday, Converse said the photo had been removed from its social media channels and it was working to remove it elsewhere. asserted

it → issue → it

"This should not have happened and we will do better," it said. asserted

it → happen → ?

The statement also said: "We're sorry. asserted

We → say → ?

We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong". asserted

this → understand → ?

The photo was part of a campaign promoting its Chuck 70 X trainer, launched internationally on 27 August. asserted

photo → promote → August

The campaign features the South Korean singer Karina, of the K-pop group Aespa, who is pictured in a series of advertisements for the shoes. asserted

who → feature → shoes

Founded in Massachusetts in the early 1900s, the popularity of Converse has skyrocketed since its Chuck Taylor sneaker was first introduced to US basketball courts in 1917. asserted

sneaker → found → 1917