'If she was a man': The internet is zapped over Sha'Carri Richardson's SKIMS campaign after domestic violence scandal

This is probably the first SKIMS campaign that hasn't been met with near unanimous excitement

Kim Kardashian never gets it wrong — and if we're talking about business decisions and viral campaigns, SKIMS is right up there with the greats. The shapewear giant has had nearly lightening fast speed when it comes to riding the pulse of pop culture, rolling out one big campaign after another, capitalising on both street cred and fat sales.

Sha'Carri Richardson's SKIMS campaign draws flak, mere months after domestic violence scandal (Photos: Instagram)

And while the latest SKIMS campaign would have been no different, American track and field athlete Sha'Carri Richardson's dominant presence in the same has left the internet zapped — as a matter of fact, enough to overshadow the collective presence of tennis ace Serena Williams, golfing world number 1 Nelly Korda, gymnast extraordinaire Jordan Chiles and snowboarding legend Chloe Kim in the same advert.

Now why is Sha'Carri's presence, despite her stellar professional record in 100-m sprinting, become a seething scandal in the making? Sha'Carri was detained at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in July after attacking her boyfriend, fellow Olympian Christian Coleman. The reason was a visibly aggressive moment caught on security footage which led to the 25-year-old was arrested for a fourth-degree domestic violence offense and held in custody for over 18 hours.

The footage in question from earlier this year in July, shows Sha'Carri shoving Christian against a column, shoving him, bumping into him and even throwing an object (presumably headphones) at him. When the footage and arrest came to light, Sha'Carri eventually released a lengthy statement, addressing her conduct, hinting at past trauma and promising to do better.

But the athlete being featured in a big banner international campaign mere months after this fiasco, hasn't settled well with the internet. While there is of course support for Sha'Carri continuing with her professional feats (such as the campaign), many are disgruntled over how the outcome and reception would have been severely different, had Sha'Carri been a man.

"nah cause if she was a guy it would be a different story right lol 🤡", "Not cool.. a man would have lost every deal", "Rewarding bad behavior 101", "There is no consequences for women who are violent towards men." and "Double standards is truly a funny thing", read a few comments.

Neither the brand nor Sha'Carri have addressed the backlash.