Old Navy Tweet Spurs Social Media Firestorm

By Brian Delpozo 1 min read

An Old Navy ad caused a social media firestorm this past weekend.

On Friday, the clothing retailer tweeted a photo depicting a family of three decked out in Old Navy attire. While that in and of itself may seem innocuous, the fact the family was interracial with a white male, black female, and mixed-race child seemed to rankle the ire of social media’s most deplorable racists.

Oh, happy day! Our #ThankYouEvent is finally here. Take 30% off your entire purchase: https://t.co/nGQ9Pji1pN pic.twitter.com/vq4mIczm6A

— Old Navy (@OldNavy) April 29, 2016

Almost immediately after the ad was posted, angry responses began flowing toward Old Navy’s account. Users accused the company of promoting miscegenation propaganda (the interbreeding of people of different races), amongst other offensive accusations.

https://twitter.com/RousetheMasses/status/726222432403619840

https://twitter.com/CulturalCombat/status/726095020982312960

What's this? A sick joke where the white guy doesn't realize it's not his kid? A commercial for cuckoldry?#WhiteGenocide @OldNavy

— Viva (@MangyMouseX) May 2, 2016

However, not all Twitter users were as negative. Many users fought back against the negative comments by voicing their support for the imagery. Some even took to posting photos of their own interracial families.

Hey @OldNavy, my family and I thank you for the diversity in this ad! #LoveWins, no matter the color ❤️ pic.twitter.com/TjgYUPMGu4

— Khary Penebaker (@kharyp) May 1, 2016

@StacyLeMelle @merstew @kharyp @OldNavy my daughters and I salute Old Navy! pic.twitter.com/b7FPfCfS1k

— Leftfielder™ (@DaleMoss2) May 2, 2016

@OldNavy from our family to yours, Thank You!!! Families like our will continue to succeed and grow in number! pic.twitter.com/stoTQT2q98

— TJ Willis (@MikesSunshyne) May 1, 2016

https://twitter.com/IntoRainbowz/status/727057550311460864

https://twitter.com/lanadelsmith_/status/726931222237061121

For their part, Old Navy stood by the imagery releasing a statement that read, “We are a brand with a proud history of championing diversity and inclusion. At Old Navy, everyone is welcome.”