OVER THE LAST 24 hours, a men’s t-shirt for sale by fashion brand Forever 21 has sparked outrage online.
“Don’t Say Maybe If You Want to Say No” is written on the front of the shirt and it’s immediately been accused of promoting rape culture:
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Eve Peyser, writing for New York Magazine yesterday, outlined the important context that the t-shirt is only available for men:
Of course, the release of this shirt would’ve gone unremarked upon had the company made it a women’s shirt instead. Context is everything, and as a ladies’ tee it’d be perceived as a comment on how women are societally conditioned to have a hard time saying no. But alas, this is a men’s product, which makes it seem as if it’s an excuse for having a nonconsensual encounter.
The backlash against it has been overwhelming
Forever 21 released a statement to Jezebel last night saying that the t-shirt has been removed from their site:
With regards to the t-shirt in question, upon receiving feedback from our customers, we took immediate action to have it removed from our website. We sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by the product.
But it’s still available on the European version of Forever 21 right now - and can be purchased in Ireland
DailyEdge.ie has contacted Forever 21 for comment.
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