In case you were wondering who writes ad copy for Bloomingdale's annual holiday catalog, it's apparently a 76-year-old “Law & Order: SVU” villain who thinks women need to “just relax” about “the whole (uses air quotes) 'rape' thing.”
This year's catalog featured an ad for Rebecca Minkoff holiday wear and an unsettling message.
Between two models — one, a woman looking joyfully off in the distance, another, a man looking lustfully at the woman — was a blurb that read,
Spike your best friend's eggnog while they're not looking.
Um… just… no. DON'T do that. Avoid that at all costs, not just because it's illegal, but because it's rapey as living f*ck.
Twitter users didn't waste time bringing attention to the ad that, frankly, is hinting at some deeply sinister holiday party behavior.
Most partygoers should be aware that incapacitating a pal for the sake of one's own fun is next-level sadistic, but victims of this behavior know it can happen to anyone.
Ads like the one above, that reinforce date rape as an all-in-good-fun pastime of the everyman, are wildly inappropriate.
Once the clothier took notice of the backlash, a statement was issued. A Bloomies representative said,
In reflection of recent feedback, the copy we used in our recent catalog was inappropriate and in poor taste. Bloomingdales' sincerely apologizes for this error in judgment.
The company also tweeted an apology.
Sadly, as copies of the catalog have already hit the shelves, there's just no taking it back.
Citations: The Bloomingdale's Holiday Catalog Recommended Spiking a Woman's Drink (Cosmopolitan)
