On Those Topman Tshirts

Amidst a huge campaign of faux-feminism, Topman have been forced to remove part of their new range from sale.

I’m getting on my high horse again, but really – what gives with society that we have to be so prissy about everything?!

I looked at these shirts and had a chuckle… ok, so they aren’t the funniest slogan t-shirts I have seen, but this is not a t-shirt review so that’s not the issue is it?



The claim that one shirt somehow condones domestic violence – wrong on a few counts…

Firstly, where is the suggestion that it is referring to acts of violence? To me, it’s more of a general “I’m a bloke, bound to have done something wrong, whatever it is I’m sorry” kind of thing. I really did not consider until reading further into the article linked above that there was a suggestion of battery.

Secondly, were we to assume that to be the reference, would we then also make the assumption the wearer of the shirt is in some way advertising his own violent nature? When you see a man in a superman t-shirt, do you assume he can fly? I have to say, it’s not the first thought to cross my mind…

Were I in a new relationship, meeting a friend of my new partner for the first time and he arrived in the “new girlfriend” shirt, would I really assume his shirt was a reference to me? Maybe if he whipped off for a wardrobe change once introductions were dispensed, but other than that; no. It’s just a vaguely amusing t-shirt.


I personally find the generic “They are sexist” argument really insulting. It suggests that females have no sense of humour; that we somehow take ourselves too seriously.

The main issue for me, though, is: what exactly is it about these shirts that can be construed as anti-feminist?

If anything, these are more sexist against men: women can speak out and make their thoughts known without need for a t-shirt declaring their opinions; women do not screw up often enough to warrant the necessity of a permanent reminder of their need for excuses; women, frankly, would not been seen dead in such tacky shirts. Is that not the real issue here?

So men: make a stand! Declare your interest if you feel so inclined…

But the reality?

In my usual stance of cynicism, I have to suggest once again that with reports of extremely low pre-Christmas spending and the panic businesses are going through over how to get their share of what little cash is being spent on gifts… just how many extra sales have the Topshop group gained since the commencement of this current campaign? How many have looked in to see what other “offensive” offerings the new range has? And how many have just ‘had’ to buy something whilst they were there?

So for today I ask this of you:

When you read about how offensive something is, think about why it could seem so and whether you think it a valid reason before deciding to blindly follow the crowd.