Urban Outfitters' Blood-Spattered Kent State Sweatshirt Makes the Wrong Statement
Photo Urban Outfitters
As if making light of depression and teenage drinking wasn’t bad enough, Urban Outfitters is now devaluing an important moment in U.S. history with its latest controversial item.
In an apparent homage to the Kent State protest, the retailer began selling a faux vintage sweatshirt with the university’s seal and a blood spatter-like pattern, BuzzFeed pointed out. The 1970 campus shootings by the Ohio National Guard severely injured nine unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War and killed four.
The red “washed soft and perfectly broken in” sweatshirt, which was selling for $129 on urbanoutfitters.com, seems to have been a one-of-a-kind offer because the tagline for the offensive t-shirt read, “We only have one, so get it or regret it!” The regalia is now sold out, yet it has now popped up for sale on eBay (listed with a staggering starting bid of $550).
Photo Urban Outfitters
On social media, where some online shoppers first astutely discovered the distasteful item, many are voicing their disappointment with the latest misstep from the popular store. “Just ANOTHER reason to dismiss them,” Michael O’Connell tweeted. Chris Rowan wrote, “Profoundly depressed to live in a reality where campus shootings get turned into a fashion statement.” In fashion terms, Candace Allen noted that the sweatshirt is “taking post mod 'irony' to a disgusting peak.”
Interestingly, Urban Outfitters’ target demographic, young adults aged 18 to 26, is largely unaware of how impactful and momentous the Kent State shootings were. The massacre was a low point in American history, and its significance should not be de-emphasized or commandeered for profit.
"Urban Outfitters sincerely apologizes for any offense our Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt may have caused. It was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970 and we are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such," UO said in a statement released on TwitLonger. “There is no blood on this shirt nor has this item been altered in any way. The red stains are discoloration from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray.”
Ever the cultural provocateur, the company isn’t shy about controversial items. (In fact, the amount of times that their conversation-starting clothes have made headlines has called into question whether or not their offensiveness is a marketing ploy.) In 2012, Truly Madly Deeply, a line sold at UO, put out muscle tees with “I Vote for Vodka,” “Misery Loves Alcohol,” “I Drink You’re Cute,” and “USA Drinking Team” on them, drawing condemnation from some who said that they glamorized teenage drinking. The chain has also been accused of cultural appropriation, with many Native American-themed items upsetting various Indian groups. Earlier this year, actress Sophia Bush even started a boycott of UO after she found a V-neck tee marked with the words “Eat Less” on the front and another trivializing mental illness available.
Urban Outfitters isn’t the only company to be publicly called out for its scandalous apparel. Recently, Zara pulled a striped kids' T-shirt with a gold star from stores after critics drew comparisons to uniforms worn by Nazi concentration camp prisoners. Nike also had to take a T-shirt off its shelves in 2013 that was illustrated with the words “Boston Massacre” and bloodstains in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Perhaps this uproar isn’t all bad. As Carrie Blazina sums up in less than 140 characters, the takeaway from the dispute should be this: “If there is a small silver lining to the Kent State/Urban Outfitters debacle, it’s that this is an educational moment. Go learn about May 4.”
