A popular clothing store, H&M, has been under fire for putting out a “racist” model post. The conflict of racism at hand is that a little African American boy is modeling for the store’s website wearing a sweatshirt that reads ”Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.”

H&M has publicly apologized as well as removed the post from the internet and the hoodie from stores. But was the whole situation ever even racist to begin with? I really don't think so.

Now, I do understand where a comment about being racist could be made, but that would never, ever be the first thought to come to my mind. Children often refer to themselves and one another as animals. “I’m a dog!” or “Let’s be horses!” are not uncommon things for children to say.

The fact that the shirt says "monkey" was never meant to be a racial slur. Do you really think that H&M thought "wow, we hate black people so we are going to put this little boy in a racist hoodie."

No, absolutely not. The hoodie is not racist and it should not make a difference if a black child or white child is wearing it. H&M was not trying to attack any single person or group with this hoodie.

Let the child be a model. If he or his parents have a problem with the saying on the shirt, they would have said something at the time of the model shoot. The boy's mother has even spoken out and told critics to "get over it". She was there at the time of the modeling and did not have a problem with the hoodie that her son was modeling.

If the boy or his mother had a problem with the hoodie, the store would never have posted him in the hoodie. I do not believe H&M did that as an attack on the child or his race. And honestly, if your first thought upon seeing the picture was “that’s racist!” then shame on you for making that racist reference in your mind. Follow the model's mother's advice and "get over it."