Black Twitter, a subculture with a Black frame of reference within the popular social media site Twitter, acts as a “counterpublic” that engages in critical dialogue and resists hegemonic power. As part of this counterpublic vocalizing Black issues, it has in recent years targeted the representation of Blackness by large companies such as Gucci, Moncler, and H&M. For example, a Gucci balaclava jumper that resembled blackface sparked wide-spread controversy and outrage regarding the intentionality of the sweater. This research is geared toward uncovering how the Black outrage that resulted from the apparent blackface reference may well be harnessed by companies as a marketing tool. Is the public’s denouncing of major brands equivalent to unpaid marketing? This research examines the extent to which companies seem to deliberately exploit Black outrage. This research focuses on Black Twitter’s response to specific incidents similar to Gucci’s and offers a rhetorical analysis of the companies’ subsequent responses following the incidents.
