I Ain't Sayin' She's a Gold Digger, But She Might Be "Allergic to Algebra"

Even the sports-ambivalent like myself know that the Olympics are a Big Deal with capital letters, not to mention a serious moneymaker for television networks, sporting goods companies and even fast food chains (I know that Gabby Douglas admitted to it, but I have a hard time believing that Olympians stop to pick up McDonald's on their way home after competing).

         

   It’s not surprising, then, that a company like Nike would want to cash in on the hype and profit from the national pride that swept even the generally lethargic following the closing ceremonies last week. And, with the U.S. ladies taking home 29 of the 46 gold medals the U.S. earned, and, in fact, winning more medals than all but four other countries, making and marketing products specifically to women makes a lot of sense.

         

   So someone or a group of someones at Nike put their heads together and came up with this.

   

   According to the description: We aren’t saying they’re gold diggers – we’re just saying they’re out for the gold! What’s wrong with that?

   This caused a bit of a stink, ending with Nike pulling the shirt from Nike.com.

   There are a lot of ways to look at this. Nike's said the shirt is ironic, taking a term that's generally recognized as a put down and tying it to something positive in sort of a nod-and-a-wink way; others are saying that the design reeks of sexism, saying that even the best of women, which is what female Olympians are meant to represent, are just out for bling.

  Both parties have a point. "Gold digger" implies a dependence on a sugar daddy (or some equivalent), when our Olympian ladies did all their own work and earned their gold themselves, so the shirt is ironic. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine any woman being totally okay with being called a gold digger, even in jest.  And the shirt was only available in women's sizes--because men are never gold diggers, I guess? or maybe because men don't care as much that women won a bunch of Olympic medals--and that is sexist, when you come right down to it.

   
 It's pretty easy to see both sides of the argument, but I'll be perfectly honest: I'm not wild about this design (in part because no one could come up with something more clever than "gold digger" when there's a world of gold-related puns out there--c'mon, people), but this shirt design in particular doesn't offend me, at least, not in the way that other t-shirt designs have.

  Maybe you remember similar outcries about sexist t-shirts that didn't have the justification--or excuse, depending on your personal opinion--of being ironic?

  Around this time last year, both Forever 21 and JCPenney's were on the receiving end of a sizable amount of consumer outrage when they both began selling t-shirts saying that the young girls to whom the shirts were marketed were "Allergic to Algebra" (as the Forever 21 shirt says) or "Too Pretty To Do Homework" (according to the JCPenney's tee). These shirts were, for lack of a better phrase, totally terrible ideas.

  Both companies took a lot of flack from customers and news sources, and, in the end, both shirts were pulled from the stores' shelves and websites due to the negative reactions from both male and female shoppers.

  So, what can be gathered from these three episodes? Well, for one thing, that women, and a number of men, don't like designers (or advertisers, or anyone, really) profiting from the idea that women aren't smart, dislike learning, or aren't willing to work for themselves to get what they want. 

  But the bigger takeaway, I think, is that sexism--even implied or ironic sexism--doesn't sell. Literally.

  So, if you want to make fun of or point out sexism in your product designs or your advertising, be sure it's clear what you're trying to do. And even then, be prepared for the backlash.