Fashion powerhouse Zara is facing criticism after releasing its most recent advertising campaign, which has stirred up a lot of controversy on social media. There have been charges of insensitivity as a result of the campaign’s photos being frequently compared to scenes from the Israel-Hamas conflict. Model Kristen McMenamy is seen in the controversial advertisement carrying a mannequin covered in white cloth. Some people claim this striking image is similar to photos depicting the aftermath of the conflict in Israel and Palestine. The model is seen inside a wooden box in other campaign photos.
While Kristen’s jacket is the main attraction of the advertisement, social media users pointed out similarities between her standing in the wooden box and the many images of coffins that are making the rounds online. Additionally, some noted that the plywood boards in the advertising campaign resembled a map of Palestine.
A user posted a comparison photo of the Zara advertisement and a victim of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
People searched for Zara’s head designer Vanessa Perilman’s prior Instagram message to Palestinian model Qaher Harhash after the release of a contentious campaign.
“Maybe if your people were educated, then they wouldn’t blow up hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza. Israelis don’t teach children to hate nor throw stones at soldiers as your people do,” Perilman said in 2021.