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March 16, 2015
White Boy Action Wear?
"When being a white dude just isn't enough...."
Twenty years ago I started a company in Pittsburgh called Black Dog to sell tees, sweatshirts, jackets and the like under the name of "White Boy Action Wear". The WBAW logo and "White Boy" (see T-shirt image below) would have appeared on every product. We shelved the company and the clothing line it when we realized something while selling a few items initially to obtain trade and service marks. Very few people outside of the largest U.S. cities and some fun (but insular) snowboarding, skateboarding and extreme sports communities (a) "got it"--the name, that is--and (b) felt comfortable with it and the "concept", such as it is. Lots of people said they felt uncomfortable--and in ways they could not always explain to us.
Help me out:
1. Does, for example, the T-shirt product below offend you?
2. Would you buy it?
3. Would you wear it it it were a present?
4. Would you let your kids wear it?
5. Even if you have no problems with it, an think it's wonderful and funny, what problems do you see other people having with it?
6. Have things (and sensibilities) changed or loosened up enough for people to understand the mild fun and satire connected the "White Boy Action Wear" idea and the goofy White Boy who would appear on every product?
Posted by JD Hull at 01:38 PM | Comments (0)