Just literal days after apologizing for selling decorative rugs that looked conspicuously similar to prayer rugs used in Islam by Muslims to worship, Shein is once again in hot water, and this time offending people who belong to a different religious group.
Five days after the prayer rug scandal, Shein customers noticed that the company was selling a metal necklace with a Swastika pendant on the website for $2.50. The necklace, like the prayer rugs, were promptly removed from the site after shoppers went on social media to blast Shein for their cultural insensitivity.
Immediately after the outcry, Shein put out an apology that stated that the pendant on the necklace was a “Buddhist swastika,” that contained differences in design than the one used by the Nazi Party, but recognized that they had “made a gigantic mistake by selling a product that is hurtful and offensive to many of you, and we’re so, so sorry” and that it was removed from the site.
They also added on that their team was “making major internal changes,” including not selling religious items and that they “in no way support or condone racial, cultural and religious prejudice or hatred” before ending their apology by saying “we love you and hope you stay with us.”
While it’s true that the symbol had a meaning before the Nazi’s took it and warped it’s significance, by many people around the world the Swastika is irrevocably connected to Nazism and unfortunately, its connection to Buddhism is often forgotten. A spokesperson for Shein even clarified that the Nazi swastika is pointed clockwise and tilted at an angle.
A spokesperson told Buzzfeed, “However, because we understand the two symbols can be confused, and one is highly offensive, we have removed the product from our site, As a multicultural and global brand, we want to apologize profusely to those who are offended, we are sensitive to these issues and want to be very clear that we in no way support or condone racial, cultural and religious prejudice or hostility.”
But how many mistakes are too many mistakes? Even now Shein sells Desi-type jewelry and clothing fashioned after salwar kameez, aiming to make a quick buck off of someone’s culture. At what point will we finally be done with Shein’s numerous and half-hearted apologies which only come out because they are caught being culture vultures?
Personally, I think at this point a boycott of Shein is warranted even if the Swastika necklace was not of the Nazi Swastika. The brand is a repeat offender when it comes to cultural appropriation and cultural insensitivity, and personally, I don’t buy their apology and consider it to be genuine. Therefore, I will not be buying from Shein.
