A clothing line launched by two white American women in the wake of Donald Trump‘s election victory is drawing online criticism for what some say is, at best, a tone-deaf reaction.
While 100 per cent of the proceeds from the line are going to Planned Parenthood, it’s the tag line on the T-shirts, sweaters and buttons that have some people up in arms.
The message is “Not This White Woman,” and it’s designed to be worn or displayed by white women who didn’t vote for Trump last November.
Numbers released following the vote indicate that more than half of white women (53 per cent) who cast a ballot for the next president chose Trump over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
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The merchandise also features a hashtag, #stillwithher, referring to Clinton.
The two women behind the campaign, Michelle Hirschberg and Karen Land Short, explain on their website that they were “devastated” by Trump’s win.
“We found ourselves wanting to tell people on the street, strangers on the subway, ‘it wasn’t me,'” they wrote.
But not everyone thinks broadcasting it on a T-shirt is a good idea.
“It’s hard to see how this really helps anyone or anything other than the conscience of the white women buying this sh*t,” wrote Jazebel senior writer Kara Brown, who is African American.
“I’ll tell you, as a black woman, seeing that shirt doesn’t necessarily tell me you’re an ally or worth trusting anymore than the sanely dressed white woman next to you.”
Twitter reactions weren’t much better.
Exit polls indicate that almost 95 per cent of black women voted for Clinton, and nearly 70 per cent of Latino women did the same.
Women (and their supporters) from all backgrounds are expected to descend on the U.S. capital next week for the Women’s March on Washington. The Jan. 21 event could draw 250,000 people.
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