H&M Clothing is under fire after their series of swimsuit advertising for 2012 featured a model that has been referred to as “Too Dark”.

The popular Swedish clothing retailer’s new ad features beautiful Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana in several bright colored swimsuits which highlight her deep dark Brazilian skin.

The Swedish Cancer Society blasted H&M claiming the ads create a “deadly standard of beauty” that unduly influences young people to tan:

Every year, more people die in Sweden of (skin cancer) than in traffic accidents, and the main cause is too much sunning.

Regardless of how the H&M model got her tan, through sunning or a computer programme, the effect is the same: H&M tells us we should be very tan on the beach.

It is sad to write this, but H&M will through its latest advertising campaign not only sell more bathing suits but also contribute to more people dying from skin cancer.

Hold up… wait! So now being “too dark” is a problem? I guess that’s why they lighten African-american skin in advertising campaigns. You know… so as NOT to influence tanning. Right? I’m so confused right now.

I’m even more confused that H&M issued an APOLOGY! 😯

Their apology + more photos below…
H&M issued an official apology yesterday, stating:

We are sorry if we have upset anyone with our latest swimwear campaign. It was not our intention to show off a specific ideal or to encourage dangerous behaviour, but was instead to show off our latest summer collection.

We have taken note of the views and will continue to discuss this internally ahead of future campaigns. (source)

Granted… Swedes are known for their ivory colored skin and achieving Isabeli’s skin tone would probably take way more than laying in a tanning bad or fake spray tanner, just ask Christina Aguliera… BUT

Many Brazilian’s have darker skin tones so it’s not out of the ordinary.

Clearly anyone paying more attention to the color of the model’s skin than the swimsuits has another agenda in mind… if the model were Black would it even be up for debate?

How dark is “Too Dark”?

Do you feel H&M should have apologized?