Banned '90s Walmart shirt is relevant again thanks to Hillary Clinton

#Scandal
 By 
Sophie Hirsh
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Banned T-shirt predictions don't often come true.

A T-shirt designer back in 1995 made a shirt that featured Margaret from the "Dennis the Menace" comic strip saying "Someday a woman will be PRESIDENT!" However, when one Walmart shopper was offended by the shirt's message, the store removed it from shelves.

This news story may be celebrating its 21st birthday, but it came back into light this week when Professor Nick Kapur tweeted screenshots from the original September 23, 1995 edition of The Tuscaloosa News about the apparently offensive shirt.


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According to the article, which was written by the Associated Press, "A Walmart spokeswoman said the company stopped selling the shirts at the only store that had them after one customer complained."

The shirt was originally only sold at Walmart's Miramar, Florida, location, just outside of Miami.

It was designed by Ann Moliver Ruben, a psychologist who was 70-years-old in 1995. She felt that Walmart's response proved "that promoting females as leaders is still a very threatening concept in this country."

According to the Chicago Tribune's December 1995 coverage of the incident, the shirt was restocked four months later due to women's groups threatening to boycott Walmart. "Walmart quickly announced they had 'made a mistake' and "overreacted,'" the Tribune wrote.

In order to save the situation, Walmart held a welcome-back ceremony at the Miramar store to celebrate restocking 360 of the shirts, and the company also reportedly ordered 30,000 of the shirts for its stores across the US.

At least one good thing came out of the situation: As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Ann Moliver Ruben believed the controversy helped promote the shirt, which she created to inspire young girls and increase their self-esteem.

Kapur uncovered this issue at a relevant time, considering that Hillary Clinton is the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. Ruben would be proud.

[H/T: The Telegraph]

UPDATE July 28, 2016, 9:30 a.m. EST: A spokesperson for Walmart reached out to Mashable and provided the following comment.

“Wow, it still pains us that we made this mistake 20 years ago," said Danit Marquardt, Walmart's Director of Corporate Communications.

"We’re proud of the fact that our country – and our company – has made so much progress in advancing women in the workplace, and in society.”

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Sophie Hirsh

Sophie was a Viral Content Intern for the Watercooler channel. More writing and other stuff by Sophie can be found at www.sophiehirsh.com.

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