DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Kinky Tees, the country’s leading manufacturer of humorous BDSM t-shirts, hats, and buttons has reported a sharp decline in sales of kinky merchandise, plummeting almost 80% over the last year.
“We are not sure what is happening exactly,” said Karen Kimston, VP for the company’s marketing division. “We used to sell a lot of shirts and hats at BDSM conventions, but over the last year, people just aren’t buying.”
According to Master Devon Trupalo, 58, a new wave of sensitivity sweeping the BDSM world could be responsible. “People aren’t really sure what is funny anymore. It is a confusing time. You don’t want to offend anyone with your choice of T-shirt or funny hat. It is tough to know these days what is going to be considered homophobic or a slur against a marginalized group.”
It isn’t just slogans that have people worried.
Jim Thorton, 43, is still apologizing for his callous and thoughtless donning of a light blue hoodie that was almost identical in color to the one worn by someone who brushed up against Kaylee Shortlick, 18, in a crowded subway. Shortlick found the hoodie’s coloring to be what she called “very triggery” because it was in the same color family as the one worn by her assailant.
“It gets worse when people have clothing that say funny things,” said Shortlick, “because it feels like they aren’t taking sexual assault seriously. There is nothing funny about, well, most things. So I think these shirts are all in bad taste.”
Kinky Tees is considering creating a “Trigger Warning Pullover” which can be worn over the offending shirt, allowing people to consent to the shirt before viewing it.
“We hope that the pullover might alleviate some of the anxiety among community members and hopefully allow people to buy more shirts,” Kimston told The Daily Flogger.
Photo Credit: psilocybes CC: SA NC
