The mall staple Spencer’s is known for selling off-color merch, lava lamps and sex toys. But its newest political T-shirt, which bears the words “Grab America by the Pussy,” led to outrage on Facebook and Twitter—and has sold out online.
The retailer’s website says the cotton and polyester shirt was “perfect for reminding everyone that Trump’s in charge.”
Unsurprisingly, not everyone saw it that way. Mary Numair, who originally pointed out the controversial shirts on Twitter, received more than 4,700 retweets and 5,800 likes. The shirts “normalize sexual assault,” she said in a Facebook post.
Media reps for Spencer’s didn’t reply to Heat Street’s repeated requests for a comment. But Oregon Live interviewed Spencer’s vice president, who said the shirts were satirical and were “never meant to promote any type of abuse or attack on any person.”
Managers removed the controversial shirt from the floor of the Portland Lloyd Center Spencer’s, where Numair photographed the controversial shirt.
Online, Spencer’s continues to sell 60 products it considers “political humor,” the majority of which appear to be pro-Trump. Various shirts show the President-elect’s face, along with the slogans “America, f*ck yeah,” “Deal with it” and “Trump ’16, finally someone with balls.”
Other products include a shot glass with an Obama acronym: “One Big Ass Mistake America,” a magnet that says, “Hillary will go down faster than Bill’s pants,” and a “Horny Hillary” blow-up doll.