Presented in a limited edition of 10 colorful sofas for lovers became the company's contribution to the celebration of Pride Month.
In honor of Pride Month, the Canadian division IKEA presented 10 sofa designs for two in the IKEA Canada Pride collection. Different designers participated in the creation of bright pieces of furniture, each of them dedicated his sofa to different flags of the LGBT community. There are sofas here in honor of the transgender, asexual, pansexual flag, etc.
The rainbow line of furniture was introduced on June 24, but since then the sofa in honor of the bisexual flag has attracted special attention. Many buyers claim that instead of supporting people of a similar orientation, the creators of the model, on the contrary, spread and support biphobia.
The bisexual love sofa was designed by designer Charlotte Carbone and features words from a poem by Brian Lanigan. The model is made in pink, blue and purple colors, with handprints applied everywhere, as well as voluminous hands that seem to hug the sides (this detail in itself caused bewilderment for many).
The quote on the sofa cushions says: "When you change 'or' to 'and,' nobody believes you." Although the words of the inscription speak of the poet's own unpleasant experience, many netizens did not see a deep meaning in them, but rather saw support for the negative perception of bisexuality. The message, which is supposed to be looked at daily, is clearly negative, even a photo of a sofa with an upturned pillow containing the first part of the phrase appeared, as a result, only the somewhat disturbing words “No one believes you” remain visible.
Other sofas in the collection have also been criticized, including for using awkward bulky details or inappropriate associations, such as the use of straps in the design of a non-binary sofa or a sexualized image for an asexual model. However, it was the bisexual sofa that caused the greatest wave of criticism. And the main motive for feedback from netizens was that the company uses a significant cultural event to promote itself, while not actually supporting it and not delving into the details of what is happening.