INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Interracial Couples Winning Against Old Navy Racist Backlash Over Ad Featuring Mixed-Race Families, Senator McCain’s Son Slams Haters

By Bradley Ryder
Published on: 15:09 PST, May 8, 2016

Interracial couples around the world are winning, thanks to a sharp rebuke from the public over an Old Navy ad.

A whirlwind of backlash targeted racists on social media that spoke out against mixed-race relationships. Not only did black and white models — Grace Mahary and Clay Pollioni, respectively — speak out against the online race hate, Arizona Senator John McCain’s son, joined the fray in support of the ad featuring the interracial couple, according to CNN.

Jack McCain, a white Navy helicopter pilot, is married to Renee Swift, a black Air Force officer. McCain returned fire against the barrage of racist comments with tweets of his own, and he didn’t mince words.

McCain’s wife joined her husband in slamming critics of the Old Navy advert. Attached is a picture of the interracial couple.

Apparently, mixed-race couples sounded off using social media platforms to join the growing waves of condemnation. In unison, they used the LoveWins hashtag and pushed back against the vitriol from those who called Old Navy’s ad “propaganda.”

“@OldNavy on some real s*** though I’m on my way to buy a bunch of your clothes just because racist white people mad.”

“Ain’t sported their s*** in forever, but now I’m down. Bout to be old navy on deck!”

Much of the toxic comments targeted the company, not the black and white model. Some threatened to take their business elsewhere if Old Navy continued pandering to multicultural families through alleged clever marketing schemes.

“My family and I will never step into an @OldNavy store again. This miscegenation junk is rammed down our throats from every direction.”

Another online protester made a far-fetched claim. The user compared the ad to a form of ethnic cleansing by the use of imagery and suggestion.

“Old Navy HATES white babies! It takes a White mother and a White father to make a White baby. Stop #WhiteGeocide (sic).”

Four years ago, the Pew Research Center published results of a study that looked at social and democratic trends. It showed that four decades after the High Court struck down the longstanding ban on mixed marriages (Loving v. Virginia), rates of interracial nuptials in the United States rose sharply. Moreover, social acceptance grew in tandem and continued to grow.

Finally, the models spoke out in defense of their decision to pose for the ad and the positive message the advert promotes. Clay Pollioni weighed in first using his Instagram account.

“I’m extremely proud to have taken part in a campaign that not only celebrates our nation’s diversity but also unites families with multicultural backgrounds and promotes love of all kinds! #LoveWins Thank you @OldNavy.”

Grace Mahary was next to share her opinion about the racist backlash.

“I am proud to be representing interracial love, multiculturalism, and most importantly, a mentality that supports opportunity for all ethnicities. Thanks @oldnavy #lovewins #hatefreezone.”

The resultant bigotry from the new interracial couple conjured up images from two years ago in another unrelated matter. Many are comparing the Old Navy incident to Cheerios’ Super Bowl 2014 commercial that featured a — you guessed it — mixed-race family.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

Share this article: Interracial Couples Winning Against Old Navy Racist Backlash Over Ad Featuring Mixed-Race Families, Senator McCain’s Son Slams Haters
Twitter
More from Inquisitr