Many companies, IKEA included, have staff to check product names in other languages and cultures to make sure they are not offensive anywhere in a global market. I am thus more than a little sure that IKEA named a rainbow item Putin as an ironic nod to Putin’s well known anti-gay stance. Or perhaps this viral photograph was a joke by someone with a good sense of humour (it’s something I could never have thought of in a million years!)? One almost never knows these days.
They withdrew their magazine from Russia because of their pro-gay stance. It was either that or remove the gay couples from it, and I respect them so much more for refusing to do that.
Your thoughts on the theme left a smile on my face!