Um, wut.
As IF AA could get smarmier than its own CEO??
Yesterday, American hipster clothier American Apparel debuted their “Menstruating Vagina” or “Period Power” t-shirt designed by 20-year-old Toronto-based artist, Petra Collins. The front of the shirt depicts a rather graphic (NSFW) hirstute woman, legs spread, diddling herself, while a river of red flows through her long multi-colored acrylic tips (click the jump to see it in full color) -
Look. We’re women. We bleed. We hate it. We freaking get it. Why in the name of Georgia O’Keeffe would we need or even WANT a t-shirt illustrating the curse front and center?
What’s next? A t-shirt with my ex-boyfriend’s mug on it? Kill it with fire.
I kinda get what they’re doing from a capitalistic point of view. We live in the “Miley Cyrus era”: shock in order to shill. Controversy is MONEY IN THE BANK. With the media attention AA as a company stands to get on this, I’m sure all the disgruntled journos, annoyed feminist groups and peeved pearl-clutching bloggers were deemed collateral damage. The shirts will sell out completely and re-seller hacks will be able to gouge for a bundle on Ebay.
I can also “get” what they’re doing from a “feminazi” (proper use of an over-used internet term, thankyouverymuch) sort of stance, if you will: they are challenging teen girls to face the “taboos” of female sexuality and to not view it as “disgusting.” On the contrary, a naked PEEN plastered on a T would be just as unecessary so my attempt at an argument is invalid.
In my day, a woman’s monthly business was, well, none of your business. You suffered in silence because that’s what Mother Nature wanted of us…after you bit the head off your mate. You didn’t silk screen it onto a t-shirt.
By the way, the t-shirt is Unisex. Because AA knows their target consumer demographic of teenage boys can definitely handle something as mundane as a bodily function maturely (did the sarcasm translate?) -
As it is, the dude pictured looks traumatized.
[CLICK TO MAKE LARGER] nsfw…
PMS reminder, anyone?
UPDATE: The Daily Mail did a write up this morning.
