It is time for another edition of ‘Thanks, But No Thanks,’ where we say ‘thanks, but no thanks’ to something bubbling up in the news. Today, we are talking candles.
It is that time of year again. Those aromas of fall are giving way to Thanksgiving and the holiday season, and you might be making your way to Bath & Body Works at your local mall to check out the just-released Christmas collection.
For 2024, there is Frosted Forest and Frozen Lake, Winter Golden Pear and Frosted Coconut Snowball, and then there is that red one in the corner called Snowed In. It sounds normal enough. According to Bath & Body Works, Snowed In smells of sweet musk, cozy vanilla, and creamy buttermint (whatever that is).
But look a little closer at the Snowed In candle vessel. What does that snowflake design brings up in your mind? What you will find is what the internet has dubbed the “Ku Klux Klandle.” Yes, that stylized partial snowflake is actually a bunch of Klansmen wearing their white hoods. It looks identical.
Bath & Body Works, what are you doing? Who screened this? The old Snowed In candle design featured a window overlooking a snowy landscape. Simple, non-controversial. But they decided it needed upgrading, I guess, and they have stepped right into a racist scent PR nightmare. At least, that is the determination of the internet, which, as we know, is always perfectly rational.
It was not long until the executives at Bath & Body Works issued a statement: “At Bath & 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. We apologize to anyone we have offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.”
Yes, there will be a great replacement of this racist candle from all the megamalls in America. But unfortunately, not everyone got the memo. You see, last week over on The Candle Channel on YouTube (yes, that is a thing run by the nation’s preeminent candle reviewer, Kent) the new Snowed In candle got its time in the spotlight:
Oh, no! We’ve got a creamy buttermint insurrection on our hands, and no one told Kent about it. He is just sitting there rambling on about marshmallow musk and peppermint. Please don’t cancel Kent. The guy just enjoys sniffing candles. He doesn’t know he is holding a lovely smelling symbol of white supremacy, a Ku Klux Klandle.
Look, in America, there are very fine candles on both sides – yes, even that Frosted Coconut Snowball nonsense. But to those secret racists pushing subconscious white supremacist messaging when we are just trying to sniff some of that sweet musk, cozy vanilla, and creamy buttermint, we are saying thanks but no thanks.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 920 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.