Western companies and brands have often used the images of Hindu deities as more of an accessory or something fashionable instead of something that is revered by millions of people. Recently KitKat has been under the scanner for their wrappers that feature an avatar of Lord Vishnu, but this is not the first time something like this has happened.
KitKat Wrapper
KitKat is coming under some serious heat right now for featuring Lord Jagannath also considered to be an avatar of Lord Vishnu along with Balabhadra and Mata Subhadra on their new ‘travel break packs’. As per the company, the “KitKat travel break packs are meant to celebrate beautiful local destinations”.
But the offence many people seem to be taking is what will happen to these wrappers once the product inside is eaten. Several pointed out that these wrappers will be thrown in dustbins, gutters, on roads and come under people’s feet which is outright disrespectful to the deities. KitKat has now reportedly withdrawn the packs from the market and apologies for hurting any sentiments.
Kim Kardashian’s Om Earrings
In May of 2021, Kim Kardashian received heavy backlash for wearing ‘Om’ earrings during a photoshoot for her KKW Beauty line. A user online commented on this photo saying that “Is now a good time to mention that the Om is a sacred symbol to Hindus and not just an accessory?”
American Eagle Outfitters Ganesh Sandals
USA brand American Eagle Outfitters was also heavily bashed for their ‘Ganesh Sandals’ that has impressions of Ganesh’s image all over the typical rubber chappal or sandals. As per usual they withdrew the product after heavy complaints and protests from the Hindu community there.
Read More: 5 Indian Ads That Got Cancelled By Online Pressure, Threats And Power In This Year Itself
Bath Mats With Lord Shiva Image
Amazon came under a lot of fire for having doormats, toilet covers, shower curtains and more such things on their site. The problem was not with the products but the fact that several of those had images of Hindu gods and goddesses which is a huge blasphemy according to the religion.
Hindu gods and goddesses are kept in extremely clean and sanitary areas, using incense and more to ensure the environment in those areas is pleasant.
Apparently, someone even filed an FIR against Amazon for ‘hurting Hindu sentiments’.
Converse Shoes With Hindu Deities
Converse, the international shoe brand came out with a new collection of their iconic style in 2010. However, the shoes had images of Hindi deities plastered all over, and even had the legendary late guitarist Jimi Hendrix represented as a Hindu god.
Obviously, this created a lot of controversy due to anger from the Hindu community and eventually, the brand issued a statement and withdrew the sale of the shoes from the United States.
Ganesh Image On Beer Bottle
An Australian brewery company was heavily bashed after they launched new beers that featured images of Lord Ganesh, Goddess Lakshmi and such on their labels.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Business Today, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: KitKat wrapper, KitKat wrapper controversy, KitKat wrapper Lord Jagannath, KitKat wrapper Lord Jagannath controversy, Kim Kardashian Om Earrings, Kim Kardashian Om Earrings backlash, amazon hindu deities bath mat, converse shoes hindu deities, hindu deities, ganesh selling meat ad
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