Has there ever been a poorly received “Harry Potter”-themed anything? Now, there is one.
Last week, MeUndies launched a new, limited-time “Harry Potter” line of underwear and loungewear in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Underwear, lounge pants, socks, bras and robes have designs based on the four houses from “Harry Potter,” and range from $18 briefs to $88 robes.
Before the events of this past summer, the line might have been well-received by its pop culture-driven consumers. As it stands, however, the direct-to-consumer underwear brand saw swift backlash as it follows “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling’s heavily critiqued tweets about trans people.
MeUndies posted an apology to Instagram over the weekend, addressing customer questions about the decision to go forth with a “Harry Potter” line at this time, explaining why the brand cannot take the line down and relaying that it has set up an internal diversity and equity Board to vet future partners. The brand also states that it “strongly” disagrees with Rowling’s comments.