Asian Customer Says She Received Package Addressed With A Racist Slur From Theory Clothing
This is unacceptable.
Instagram An Asian-American woman in Philadelphia is calling out the clothing brand Theory after she says she received a package addressed in a racist manner.
Audrey Liu Dvorsky shared her story on Instagram, directly calling out the fashion brand for racism, and has since been reposted by fashion watchdog Diet Prada.
The Theory package was allegedly addressed to ‘Ching Liu.’
In an image shared by Dvorsky, the label reads, “SHIP TO: CHING LIU.”
Dvorsky had shopped in person at a Theory store in Philadelphia Premium outlets but as the store was out of leggings, a store associate offered to ship the product to Dvorsky’s home.
Dvorsky shared a photo of a label addressed to ‘Ching Liu’ alongside her personal address and phone number.
“I was confused who Ching Liu was at first,” Dvorsky said. “Then I checked if the label was my correct phone number and address. I was shocked. I know for sure what Ching stands for.”
Dvorsky reached out to the fashion brand who claimed her details were incorrectly registered on an account created for her in store in 2017.
However, Dvorsky clarifies that her name was never “Ching” hence it should never have been listed as such.
Theory apologized on social media.
The company posted an Instagram story to apologize for the “error” after reportedly telling Dvorsky they were “sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Theory is deeply committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion,” the statement reads in part.
“We are taking this matter seriously and reviewing all internal processes to ensure that such instances never happen again.”
Several other brands have made similar racist ‘errors.’
As Diet Prada’s post discusses, this incident is part of a long list of anti-Asian racist actions carried out by other companies.
Their post includes images of receipts, letters and checks from Chick-Fil-A, government workers and other enterprises.
On these letters are variations of names that Westerners might perceive as stereotypical Asian names but are actually weaponized as insults.
Instead of bothering to enquire about a person's real name, these people have opted to brandish Asian customers with one signifier.
The words are a reflection of what white people think Cantonese or Mandarin sound like rather than bearing any significance in Asian culture.
These “names” have appeared as taunts in playgrounds since the 19th century, in ragtime songs during eras dominated by “yellow fever” and anti-Asian racism, and now crops up on 21st century receipts despite the fact that we should all know better by now.
Stories like Dvorsky’s demonstrates that, in spite of our best efforts, we still have a long way to go in preventing racism and xenophobia against the Asian community.
“I really just want more people to know about this. I have a kid that will go to school one day and I do not wish for kids at school to call him Ching,” she said.
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.