PacSun Pulls Controversial Upside Down American Flag T-shirt
Clothing retailer PacSun announced that it has stopped selling a T-shirt depicting an upside-down American flag after selling it over the Memorial Day weekend after customers went online to complain about the controversial shirt.
Angry customers are commenting on the retailer's Facebook page and calling in complaints to the company, because of one T-shirt for sale that features a "disrespectful" upside-down American flag.
The $24 shirt was being sold online and at certain retail stores. It spawned the hashtag #BoycottPacSun online and numerous angry comments on the company's Facebook page from shoppers who felt it was insensitive.
However, after mounting online pressure from the public, Pacific Sunwear, Inc. released the following statement on its Facebook page, "As a retailer grounded in youth culture, PacSun values artistic and creative expression through the brands that we sell in our stores. Out of respect for those who have put their lives on the line for our country, we have decided to stop selling the licensed flag T-shirt and are removing it from our stores and website immediately. We thank the men and women in uniform for their extraordinary service."
"You've probably seen the flag and anarchy symbol on the runway at fashion week in New York City," says Dan Baum, CEO of DBC, a public relations and social media firm, in an interview with the Monitor. "So this really isn't a new idea. It dates back to the 60s."
The link to purchase the shirt, which was apparently designed in a collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky, now redirects to the PacSun homepage.
