NEW YORK聽鈥 has stopped selling a candle that was emblazoned with a winter theme that many commenters online compared to a Ku Klux Klan hood.
The candle鈥檚 label, called 鈥淪nowed In,鈥 was decorated with a stylized paper snowflake. But many people on social media compared it to the by Klansmembers. The KKK is the one of the 鈥渙ldest and most infamous鈥 hate groups in the United States, to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The that the imagery of the KKK hood itself has become a hate symbol.
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The candle has since been pulled from Bath and Body Works鈥 website and retail locations, with the company telling CNN in a statement its design was 鈥渦nintentional.鈥
鈥淎t Bath and Body Works, we are committed to listening to our teams and customers, and committed to fixing any mistakes we make-even those that are unintentional like this one,鈥 a spokesperson said. 鈥淲e apologize to anyone we鈥檝e offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.鈥
Commenters jumped on the design choice, calling it a 鈥渒landle鈥 or a 鈥淜lan Krismas Kandle.鈥 Some people who tried ordering the candle after the controversy erupted late last week said on social media that their orders had been canceled.
The canceled candle has appeared on eBay, however, with one person attempting to sell the . The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Candles are a staple of Bath and Body Works鈥 collection, which has evolved beyond soaps and lotions. Every year, the retailer rolls out its collection of holiday-scented candles that amount to nearly 40% of its annual sales, .