Old Navy has discontinued one particular shirt for toddler girls after the internet declared: “hell, no!”
The offending item is simple enough, long-sleeved and white. But the words splashed across the front, which suggested children shouldn’t aspire to become artists, ignited fury on Twitter and other social media sites.
Hi I was once a young aspiring artist and now I design for the next president. Shame on you #OldNavy https://t.co/2SZnx1P1CG
— Victor Ng (@victomato) December 30, 2015
The irony of the shirt was not lost on the interwebs.
shoutout to the graphic designer that @OldNavy selected, hired, and paid to design this. you know. a working artist. pic.twitter.com/bkg4eiJ9D5
— anxious gargoyle (@RileyRedgate) December 30, 2015
And many vowed never to step in an Old Navy store again.
When @OldNavy reminded me of those who discouraged my dream. I’m a young #artist aspiring to never wear your brand. pic.twitter.com/GXBafg81mL
— Judy Kovacs (@judy_kovacs) December 30, 2015
The company promptly responded and stopped selling the toddler shirt. A spokesperson told The Daily Mail: “At Old Navy we take our responsibility to our customers seriously. We would never intentionally offend anyone, and we are sorry if that has been the case. Our toddler tees come in a variety of designs including tees that feature ballerinas, unicorns, trucks and dinosaurs and include phrases like, ‘Free Spirit.’ They are meant to appeal to a wide range of aspirations. With this particular tee, as a result of customer feedback, we have decided to discontinue the design and will work to remove the item from our stores.”
But leave it to artists to get creative in their response to the shirt. Perhaps Old Navy should consider one of these designs as a replacement?
We redesigned it for you @OldNavy, free of charge. Love, Artists Everywhere. #artist #ArtistLife #ArtistsUnited pic.twitter.com/skHP2pWW4W
— Leilani Joy (@MissLeilaniJoy) December 30, 2015
#oldnavy encourages aspiring artists to be presidents instead; what about the president who wants to be an artist? pic.twitter.com/py6k6Cv7SA
— artsology (@artsology) December 29, 2015
Hey @OldNavy, just saw your new shirts… Drew up my first thoughts. But what were YOU thinking? #OldNavy #Artist pic.twitter.com/kvQomNETDW
— Hillary Porter (@HillaryFPorter) December 31, 2015
Fixed it for ya, @OldNavy #OldNavy #Artist #Creatives #Designers #Musicians pic.twitter.com/yQtA5QXyYx
— Steve Ogden (@SteveOgdenArt) December 30, 2015
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Source: HP