PacSun: Store Removes Upside Down Flag T-Shirt As Kendall And Kylie Jenner Release Summer Collection
PacSun has gone under fire on Memorial Day of all days. The hip athletic clothing store sold an upside down American flag T-Shirt that’s rubbing some people the wrong way. In fact, some customers found the shirt to be “disrespectful” and “offensive,” especially on such a patriotic holiday.
The T-Shirt features a black and white American flag that’s upside down on the front of the shirt. The new shirt was displayed on a mannequin at a PacSun clothing store located in Foley, Alabama, as previously reported via CBS Local.
The original photo was shared on Facebook by a consumer at the Tanger Outlets over the Memorial Day weekend. Florida resident Rachel Zawacki-Kuss shared the photo on her profile, which immediately viral after her outrage. It received over 5,000 shares and hundreds of thousands of comments. PacSun removed the T-Shirt from its display after the store received several customer complaints, according to a New York Daily News report. This American flag T-Shirt has ruined some people’s Memorial Day weekend.
“Saw this at your location at Tanger Outlets this morning in Foley, Alabama. I understand freedom of speech but this shirt, displayed prominently at the entrance of your store, for Memorial Day weekend is more distasteful and disrespectful than anything I thought I’d see. I will not be shopping at PacSun again.”
“It was not the ideal time to bring that shirt front and center. The American Flag is a symbol of freedom that they fought and died for. Seeing the flag used that way was incredibly upsetting to me. …The display was in bad taste, it was disrespectful and insensitive to the sacrifices that have been made by so many service members.”
According to the U.S. Flag Code, the American flag should “never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”
But one would argue that the American flag is displayed on a T-Shirt. It’s not an actual American flag that has been flipped upside down on a flagpole or on someone’s porch. Others have also argued that if the T-Shirt featured the Confederate flag, no one would have blinked an eye.
The upside down American flag T-Shirt is still available on the PacSun website, as of Monday afternoon. It was designed as part of a collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky.
He also offers another PacSun American flag T-Shirt, but with the union facing up.
Speaking of celebrity collaborations, Kendall and Kylie Jenner have released their PacSun Summer Collection in light of the Memorial Day controversy. Their Moroccan-inspired collection includes lace crop tops, crochet bikinis, velvet dresses, and short shorts. Most of the separates can be worn together or with other pieces in your wardrobe.
Both Kylie and Kendall have shared a sneak peek of their collection on Twitter. (Roller skates not included).
Our summer collection with @PacSun get it now at http://t.co/PwmRmiqE0Q #kandk4pacsun pic.twitter.com/edC7AVeaDC
— Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) May 22, 2015
Our new summer collection at @PacSun http://t.co/ZcCM9vwL8j #kandk4pacsun pic.twitter.com/jdUQlG9pFt
— Kendall Jenner (@KendallJenner) May 22, 2015
Everything in the Kendall and Kylie Jenner PacSun Summer Collection retails from $20 to $80 each. As for the American flag T-Shirt controversy, PacSun has not responded since its headquarters is closed on Memorial Day.
What are your thoughts on PacSun’s upside down American flag T-Shirt? Do you think it’s offensive? What are your thoughts on Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s summer collection? Would you buy any of these clothes?
[Image: Araya Diaz/Getty Images for PacSun]
