Bloomingdale’s Issues Apology for Printing Date Rape-y Ad

Department store Bloomingdale’s came under fire this week after customers discoveredhighly questionable ad in its holiday catalog, and called out the retailer on social media.

Decked out in clothing from designer Rebecca Minkoff, a male model (described by Jezebel writer Stassa Edwards as “some creep, who looks a little too much like Robin Thicke”) gazes at his friend as she looks away laughing. The uber-creepy tagline reads, “Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking.”

Backlash on social media was swift. “It’s beginning to look a lot like date rape!” one Twitter user wrote. Another user suggested the retailer make a “huge” donation to a rape prevention organization instead of simply issuing an apology.

Yesterday, the company did apologize, telling Tech Insider, “In reflection of recent feedback, the copy we used in our recent catalog was inappropriate and in poor taste. Bloomingdale’s sincerely apologizes for this error in judgment.” Unfortunately, the ad is printed in a catalog and so can’t be removed the way a billboard or online ad could be.

Instead of following Bloomingdales’ advice, let’s all enjoy the gift of consent this holiday season.

About

Stephanie hails from Toronto, Canada. She is a Ms. writer, a master of journalism candidate and a hip hop dancer/instructor/choreographer. She got her start in feminist journalism at the age of 16 when she was a member of the first editorial collective at Shameless magazine—and she has never looked back.