Walmart-sold tees have people doing a double-take on social media
Walmart’s online store has some people doing a double-take as ads for a graphic tee appear to say something homophobic but in actuality are LGBT friendly. The shirts say “Gay is Not Okay” in bold white letters then underneath in smaller rainbow font say “It’s Fabulous!”
The ads are generated throughout Facebook as sponsored third-party pop-ups in little windows which make the “It’s Fabulous” punchline very hard to read.
One person in response to the shirt who obviously missed the subtext wrote the company directly on their social media page.
“I just saw an ad from Walmart featuring a shirt reading “gay is not okay.” This is a hateful message, and I will never shop at a store that supports hate speech. I believe the shirt might be from a third party seller, but it’s still running through your site, under an ad featuring your company name.”
Another wrote, “I’VE REQUESTED WALMART REMOVE THIS SHIRT–IT SAYS GAY IS NOT OK, IT’S FABULOUS. WHAT YOU READ EASILY IS ‘GAY IS NOT OK’, THE REST IS VERY DIFFICULT TO READ.”
Of course thanks to the camouflaged punchline, conservatives have also criticized the big box retailer after getting its deciphered message.
Wrote one, “This Walmart ad just appeared in my newsfeed. The shirt reads, “Gay is not okay. It’s fabulous.” Revolting. Walmart check your sellers.”
Another wrote, “What is this world coming to?”
The garments seem to be a hold-over from Pride season, but as the holidays are in full-swing these types of boosted displays are becoming more and more visible to potential buyers.
Last year Walmart removed a less ambiguous tee from their online catalog, again from a third party retailer. This one read, “Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some assembly required.”
