SHEIN Got Caught Selling A Swastika Necklace, But Questions About Its Symbolism Arise

by Stephanie Maida · July 9, 2020

    Fast fashion retailers are obviously the last place we'd look for any sort of moral integrity, but a Nazi necklace? Was not expecting that.

    On Thursday, influencer Marissa Casey Grossman (a.k.a. @FashionAmbitionist) took to the 'gram to share some shocking screenshots of a literal swastika necklace being sold on SHEIN, a self-proclaimed "international B2C fast fashion e-commerce platform... catering to both young women and teens, that won’t break the bank." The necklace in question was being sold for $2.50.

    About 30 minutes after Grossman shared the post, saying "This is a company that I’ve bought from so much over the years and to see this is ABSOLUTELY disgusting," the product was taken down from the site.

    And while many commenters have of course shared the outrage of Grossman, some, including fellow influencer Eugenie Grey (@feralcreature), pointed out that the symbol has long been sacred to many Eastern religions before it was horrifically appropriated by Nazis during the Holocaust. In a comment, Grey wrote, "It’s a Buddhist/Hindi/Jain symbol. Much of my family is Buddhist and they have it in their houses. Shein is asian and lots of Asians are Buddhist. White people appropriated it, of course."

    In another comment, she continued, "Will I or any younger Buddhist use it? Almost certainly not. I would never. But my grandparents and their peers used it all around their houses and I’d never tell them they couldn’t. It’s part of THREE ancient religions that run many bloodlines long. That is history. That is fact."

    In an email, Grey has clarified that she is not, of course, defending the necklace, but was "just explaining the history because many people did not know."

    Western and Eastern views clash heavily over this often and I understand both, as I am part of both cultures (in addition, my family is also made up of both Buddhists and Jewish people).

    The swastika (which comes from the original Sanskrit word स्वस्तिक, not a German word) is a heavily triggering symbol. That cannot be contested. It was used for one of the most evil acts that has ever existed in the history of this planet. 

    It is also a deep-rooted sacred cultural symbol used for thousands of years in many Eastern countries and religions. Exactly when it came about is something I'm not totally clear on, but it's been recorded anywhere from 500 to 3000 BCE and is still used for its original purposes today, while its evil counterpart came about around 1930 to present day. As you noted in the article, I'd never, ever use it. I personally have a visceral revulsion to it. But I want to explain why people will see that symbol out of Asia (it's on buildings, boats, maps, you name it). 

    Intersectionality is about understanding just that - the intersections of these things. I also want to mention again that Jewish people and any other affected parties have every right to feel how they feel about the symbol. Every single right. But some did not know the history, and I think it's important to be aware of its roots and how the Nazis ruined so many cultures (even if you decide you want to eviscerate the symbol at the end of it all).

    Indeed, the brand has since issued a statement confirming that the pendant was meant to be a Buddhist symbol, but recognizes that the connotations of the swastika have been sufficiently muddied on a larger scale:

    For the record, SHEIN was not selling a Nazi swastika pendant, the necklace is a Buddhist swastika which has symbolized spirituality and good fortune for more than a thousand years. The Nazi swastika has a different design, it is pointed clockwise and tilted at an angle. However, because we understand the two symbols can be confused and one is highly offensive, we have removed the product from our site.

    As a multicultural and global brand, we want to apologize profusely to those who are offended, we are sensitive to these issues and want to be very clear that we in no way support or condone racial, cultural and religious prejudice or hostility. We are actively working through our internal structure and processes to resolve these issues, including a product review committee to ensure that we respect our diverse community. We are a global and all-inclusive brand and we are taking extreme measures to ensure that all items are cleared through a rigorous vetting process before we retail them.

    Nevertheless, it's absurd to think that this somehow got through any sort of approval process. Did no one seriously stop to realize that the swastika has been used as an international symbol of hate and anti-Semitism in modern society?!

    The brand was also called out by YouTuber Nabela Noor, who just last week called attention to the fact that SHEIN had been selling Islamic prayer mats as decorative rugs.

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