Honest mistake or trolling for media coverage?
It may seem obvious that a t-shirt emblazoned with the message, “Don’t say maybe if you want to say no.” is a major no-no, especially with heightened sensitivity to the issue of consent that’s risen across the nation. Yet, supposedly, this very shirt made it through the design phase, through approvals, onto a press, and arrived on the website of clothing company Forever 21 (whose primary audience happens to be young females) without anyone there realizing it was going to massively offend a lot of people.
Social media users pounced on the shirt, pointing out that it’s incredibly inappropriate:
Hey, @Forever21, we think you should #StopVictimBlaming and pull this shirt from your stores. https://t.co/lilmI6t3WL
— Project Consent (@consentproject) March 14, 2016
This #forever21 tshirt blaming women for rape AIN’T OK & deserves all the hate it’s getting https://t.co/lHzaGhv3Fb pic.twitter.com/yNvjhKonLB — sanya panwar (@SanyaHoon) March 15, 2016
Of course this incident begs the question, was this a legitimate oversight? Brands like American Apparel and Urban Outfitters, direct competition to Forever 21, are regularly in the press for controversial and outrageous products that make their way into their lines. Perhaps Forever 21 is testing the “any publicity is good publicity” waters as well?
Here’s the statement issued in the wake of the outcry:
Forever 21 strives to exemplify the highest ethical standards and takes feedback and product concerns very seriously. 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.
As far as apologies go this one is about as cookie cutter as they come, probably written by legal counsel, and it comes off as such. Frankly, we’re not buyin’ it.
If you’re truly looking to avoid missteps it’s not hard to avoid an apology. Ask yourself how your actions could offend, hurt, or mislead your stakeholders. And, if you’re still not sure, ask the pros.
The BCM Blogging Team
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com