The way to get a company to respond to a complaint is to boycott, and in this social media generation, if you can get something to go viral, you may even get an apology. Earlier this year, Gucci found itself on the wrong side of rapper T.I. after they released an item of clothing that was deemed to be racist. Many people said the balaclava sweater resembled a Golliwog, a black caricature that has black skin, frizzy hair, and large, bright red lips, and they called the company out for allegedly being racist.
Following the backlash, T.I. hopped on social media to not only announce that he would be boycotting the brand, but also to urge others to do the same. "As a 7 figure/yr customer &long time supporter of your brand I must say...Y’all GOT US f*cked UP!!! APOLOGY NOT ACCEPTED," he wrote. "Our culture RUNS THIS SH*T!!! We (People of color) spend $1.25 TRILLION/year (but are the least respected and the least included)and if we stop buying ANYTHING they MUST correct any and ALL of our concerns. That’s THE ONLY WAY we can get some RESPECT PUT ON OUR NAME!!!!"
For the last few months, there have been a few celebrities who have followed suit, while others haven't taken the boycott seriously. In a recent interview with Ebony, Waka Flocka Flame and his wife Tammy Rivera shared their thoughts on the Gucci boycott. "A lot of stuff that we claim that's 'for blacks' from schools to books we read to lifestyles...it's not owned by a black person," Waka said. "So how can it be for blacks? I'm just being real. And I know that, so anytime I see cappin' going on, I'm gon' check it."
"And nobody can blame kids for wearing it," he continued. "I snap when I see a guy like me [wearing it]. We know, bro. We grown men. Now, to see a younger kid, like a young thug have it on, that's different. He a thug. He younger. It takes somebody like me to [say], 'Yo, bro you know that's uh...nine times out of ten, when I call them and say it, they be like, 'Whoa, big homie, for real? Man that's crazy. I ain't even know that.' People don't know."
"Like, women don't know why they wear high heels...It was made for men to have an arch, but that's different. But it becomes fashion today," he shared. Waka also says that it's hypocritical for someone to tell others not to wear certain designers because of racism or bigotry if they're wearing high fashion that mirrors exactly what they're against. "I would love for other people to know things," he said. "We just need high fashion black people. That's all I'm saying. [If] you're a black man, you should go to high fashion black men, that's all I'm saying. You wonder why the pants slippin' off your ass. 'Cause they're not made for you."
