Urban Outfitters loves Mitt

Urban Outfitters' sneaky conservative propaganda stunt markets dishonesty as irony -- again
By Mary Elizabeth Williams


Urban Outfitters has a reputation for selling edgy cool to urban hipsters. But the company was actually founded by Richard Hayne, a deep-pocketed Rick Santorum supporter. That makes the company’s latest line of ironic T’s — edgy, cool, conservative shirts backing Mitt Romney — especially insidious.

What’s your pleasure, young person who lives in a Mormon Williamsburg of the mind? Mitt, dolled up like a member of KISS? A subtle picture of an oven mitt, and the word ROMNEY? A Hammer-pantsed “2 Legit 2 Mitt” Romney — which, if you think about it for half a second, doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. And though I don’t believe in victim blaming, I will warn that if you decide to go out walking down the street in a distressed, elephant-logoed “Mitt Is the Shit” shirt, you will have no one to blame but yourself for the inevitable butt-trouncing you receive. Or maybe you’re more the “Ron Paul: American Badass” or “Ron Paul & Drugs & Rock & Roll” type. Because what is more badass than a guy who supports deregulating marijuana but not “so-called family planning”?

A less-jaded consumer might view the new line of shirts as an attempt at humor, turning the stiffest, whitest guys in politics in “badasses.” But just remember, that the rah-rah Romney apparel is being peddled by a company started by a rich conservative — and a company that has previously sough “inspiration” for its clothing and jewelry designs from independent artists. Urban Outfitters’ sketchy politics has also included a free and easy relationship with Navajo art and iconography, shaky excuses for shirts that come in “Obama black” and hastily withdrawn shirts supporting same-sex marriage. They’ve also stocked transphobic greeting cards.

Urban Outfitters doesn’t seem to mind borrowing other people’s ideas but thinks that a pro-gay shirt is courting “bad press.” That’s not too legit, folks. Not too legit at all. In the spirit of bi-partisanship, the company does offer a line of Obama tees. Interestingly, though, while there’s a Romney shirt portraying the Republican candidate as an all-American football player, that Kenyan guy gets to be a basketball player. Way to stretch the imagination, you guys.

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http://www.salon.com/2012/06/01/urban_outfitters_loves_mitt/singleton/