Urban Outfitter’s T-Shirts Glorify Teen Drinking: Funny or Irresponsible?

by Fergie Posted 2012/08/30 19:00:00

Related Topics: Fashion, Urban Outfitters, T-shirts, Tees

746 votes
Read all 222 opinions
Lightning Report View Results and Demographics + View Demographics

Loading Demographics... Click an icon to see demographic results Display unknown and private
	Funny	226 votes	30%
	Irresponsible	520 votes	70%

Urban Outfitters is making headlines again for selling controversial tees to teens. This time, their shirts glorify drinking, with slogans like "I Drink You're Cute" and "Misery Loves Alcohol." This would be fine... except that the store is almost always targeted to teenagers, who are still unable to drink. Are people overreacting? Or is Urban Outfitters being irresponsible by selling them?

SHINE.YAHOO.COM reports:
The clothing chain Urban Outfitters is promoting a controversial new line of t-shirts with slogans such as "I Vote For Vodka" and "USA Drinking Team." A version modeled by a young woman, who appears to be a teen, is emblazoned with blurred letters reading, "I Drink You're Cute." Sadly, what's apparently meant to be a joke isn't far from the truth: alcohol use is associated with increased rates of sexual activity for teens as well as decreased condom use.

joke truth alcohol increased rates sexual activity teens decreased condom

+16

Add a comment above

lolo 2012/08/30 17:56:05

Irresponsible

+9
And stupid quite frankly.
>> See Replies

More polls by Fergie

I know I am a bitch so what? 2012/08/31 21:34:11

Irresponsible

that is SO SO SO gross -tosses dumb shirts in trash can-

reply
nate 2012/08/31 21:23:14

Irresponsible

+2
They shouldn't encourage teen drinking like that.

reply
Boss 2012/08/31 21:00:37

Irresponsible

I think tshirts with writing are all dumb..especially the ones with designers, names on them..I pay to advertise stuff??

reply
The.Z.Viru5 2012/08/31 20:33:19

Irresponsible

+2
Teen drinking is already a problem. Why would they think this is funny, and what makes them think it's okay to support such behavior?

reply
igetminefree 2012/08/31 19:56:14

Irresponsible

+2
There are already too many shows, movies, etc that make it seem ok and even normal for teens to drink and party. It is not funny at all.

reply
Rachel 2012/08/31 19:49:35

Funny

+1
Both? If this is truly marketed towards teens, then, yes, I can see that as irresponsible. However, based on the article, it may not be marketed towards teens; the model simply "appears" to be a teenager. If it's marketed to, let's say, the college crowd - a more age-appropriate group - I would then consider this funny. Tbh, I think the shirts in and of themselves are funny anyway, but we're more discussing context and ethics here.

reply
Chris 2012/08/31 19:47:09 (edited)

Funny

+1
if they wanna drink let them, because.........

reply
Zeus2713 2012/08/31 19:41:54
nicesteve 2012/08/31 19:04:28

Irresponsible

+1
And what lousy taste. Do we really have to promote and encourage teens to commit
status offences? 21st birthday celebrations will occurr too soon for most teens as is.
Urban Outfitters and all other purveyers of teen appearal need to rethink things here and
give teens better odds at remaining alive and healthy enough to celebrate their 21st years.

reply
sokoyah 2012/08/31 18:57:35

Funny

for college age teens, sure

reply
glass_butterfly ~YSU~ 2012/08/31 18:51:41

Irresponsible

+1
Urban Outfitters don't you understand how many impressionable hipsters shop in your stores.

reply
Lili13 2012/08/31 18:50:15

Funny

+1
They are quite hilarious Aha i would so wear one of those :D

reply
dr blais 2012/08/31 18:47:11
blumunofky 2012/08/31 18:36:11

Funny

+3
OMG! Teens drink? I can't believe it! Horrifying! Teens NEVER consumed ANY harmful substance when I was a teen (45 years ago). NEVER! Any they ALWAYS told their parents (both of them, heterosexual, of course) every little detail of their lives. And NEVER had SEX (ugh! what a horrible repulsive thought!) until they were married and had at least two children.

reply
Larry M 2012/08/31 18:16:56

Irresponsible

Nothing needs to be debated here.

reply
Sailor Jerry 2012/08/31 18:13:59

Funny

there ain't a problem in the world that can't be solved with booze!

reply
Tom Camfield 2012/08/31 18:10:15

Funny

+1
Who says "teenagers are unable to drink?" Legally, perhaps, but not in the real world. These things are a bit faddish, I'm sure--and there are much worse things that could be on T-shirts. I and my friends certainly would have worn such things in high school--they represent a certain degree of independence. And let's poll teenagers and see just how many have done at least a little drinking now and then.

reply
mk, Smartass Oracle 2012/08/31 17:53:55

Irresponsible

+1
Bad message

reply
={WGO}=captnesti 2012/08/31 17:42:31

Funny

+1
Well neither really, it's part of free speech though. It's their prerogative, ad their not specifically advertising to teens anyways. Drinking is worse than pot, and I'd rather see them with legalize shirts or something, but yeah.

reply
swp 2012/08/31 17:41:30

Irresponsible

Of course.

reply
JET 2012/08/31 17:36:03

Funny

I guess it depends on the image you're trying to project. Whatever works.

reply
mrs edward 2012/08/31 17:32:16

Irresponsible

But I see why this happens. Some urban outfitters apperal and other items are geared more tward collage students.

reply
S. Jacob Stallings 2012/08/31 17:20:44

Irresponsible

+1
How stupid! What I have realized is that dumb people have more kids, and smart people quit having them. We end up with a lot more stupid people. The people that made these shirts obviously didn't get their degree at Harvard.

reply
[Ev@n] 2012/08/31 17:04:30

Funny

+1
Introduce them to alcohol when they are in their teens. Don't forbid them because they will be more likely to go nuts with it when they're 21 or at college. Seen So many college students who went to the emergency room because they never had alcohol before they attended college

reply
Lindsay 2012/08/31 16:56:42

Funny

Teens are drinking. Everyone knows it. Not many do anything about it so what's wrong with a drinking t-shirt.

reply
Motley 2012/08/31 16:52:18

Irresponsible

+2
whats truly irresponsible is that the slogans and sayings arent even funny

reply
fortycal_sig 2012/08/31 16:49:16

Irresponsible

+1
Americans are totally hung up on the "issue" of teen drinking. Maybe if teens were treated with more dignity, if more were expected of them, they'd act more responsibly.

Of course, this principle applies at any age, subject to the caveat that kids are still at a stage where guidance is indicated. Adults ought to be able to exercise discernment and prudence independently. But faculties of mature behavior, like any skill, do not develop without practice.

Let them practice.

reply
UfunkAlpha to fortyca... 2012/08/31 17:26:30

+1
I think our American culture doesn't really understand what being an adult means anymore. There are far too many middle aged adolescents in this country, why would we expect their offspring to be any better?

reply
fortyca... to UfunkAlpha 2012/08/31 18:55:32

Agree without reservation.

reply
iamthemob ~ the 444th Guru ~ 2012/08/31 15:42:15

Funny

+4
Considering that I find the statement "almost always targeted to teenagers" to be woefully inaccurate...I think it's funny.

reply
Sybil 2012/08/31 14:35:58

Irresponsible

+3
At the beach this summer a group of girls had on mesh tank tops over their bikinis and each was a diff colour and each said 'drunk 1, drunk 2, drunk 3' etc. The girls were so young and as a parent myself, I would be ashamed if my daughter was walking around in one of those.

reply
President Camacho 2012/08/31 13:32:34

Funny

+1
Its like an invitation for....me

reply
LucyLucero 2012/08/31 13:21:20

Irresponsible

+1
Sending the wrong message.

reply
Bibliophilic 2012/08/31 12:50:03

Irresponsible

Underage drinking is a serious problem, but particularly underage drunkenness.

Death by alcohol intoxication is not funny.

It also promotes sexist attitudes and implies that it's fine to be cavalier about drinking. Many underage drinkers are too immature to be anywhere near alcohol. UO has done enough crap like this in the past- I'm considering choosing not to shop there anymore.

reply
Beat Ma... to Bibliop... 2012/08/31 14:59:13

+2
Another serious problem is our corrupt government sending our underage soldiers to die in the opium fields of a land that has been correctly called "The Graveyard of the West" since the days of Alexander the great.

reply
the fuze 2012/08/31 11:49:08

Irresponsible

But I'm not surprised.

reply
Ben 2012/08/31 11:48:11

Funny

+1
We've had similar t-shirts over here for ages. Teens were excessively drinking before them, they were drinking just the same after. Stopping them wearing t-shirts like this won't change anything.

reply
Ichiban Otousan 2012/08/31 10:34:52

Irresponsible

it is things like this that slowly mold our children into what we tried to raise them NOT to be. nanny state-ism my ass! it is called responsible advertising, look into it. Tell ya what...I look forward to some parents suing the company saying that the shirt caused them to lose their child to alcohol poisoning. it will happen, I am sure of it.

reply
taitaFalcon23 2012/08/31 10:08:06

Funny

+2
This nanny stateism needs a rest. I knew a guy once who died in a car accident but I still drive... people are adults, we don't need to shield them from themselves all the time

reply
UfunkAlpha to taitaFa... 2012/08/31 17:28:32

+1
Yeah, I agree, let freedom ring, but don't pretend this country is populated by adults.

reply