"Brown Is The New White????"

I don't think these t-shirts were sold here in St. Louis, but FoxNews in Dallas reported today that Macy's pulled a t-shirt it had been selling with "Brown is the new white." The department store worried that it might offend some members of the Hispanic community.

Macy's says that one of its goals it to provide an exclusive line of clothing marketed to Latina shoppers wishing to express their cultural identity through fashion. But, according to Hispanic marketing expert Dr. Ed Rincon, the phrase is offensive. Said Rincon: "Macy's doesn't know a whole lot about what Hispanics want in the way of clothing. It also says that Macy's doesn't understand Hispanic culture. More importantly, it says that Macy's doesn't understand the Hispanics that live in the U.S. and the kinds of products they are looking for." Interestingly, Rincon admits that some Hispanics might enjoy the t-shirt and buy it ... you mean Hispanics with a sense of humor?

Macy's apologized for its decision to sell the shirt, releasing this statement (emphasis added): "We are constantly looking for unique and differentiated merchandise that will resonate with our customers as hip, current and trendy. We also continue to work in developing business relationships with minority vendors to serve the growing diverse customer base. We apologize if customers have found some of the merchandise offensive and have removed the style that they found objectionable." (Source)

I dunno ... it was hip to sell "It's a Black thing. You wouldn't understand." I saw Jeeps with the window sticker "It's a Jeep thing. You wouldn't understand." Can I have a t-shirt that says "I'm White. Can you explain it to me again?" Or, how 'bout: "I'm White and I'm Sorry!"