Saturday, May 24, 2008

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words...or Two Ta-Tas.

I saw this bumper sticker (pictured to the left) in the parking lot of a bar in Mesa, Arizona. That's right, it reads, "Save the Ta-Tas". I was immediately reminded of The Mug, a guy who lived in my dorm my freshman year. The Mug so loved his pipe that he often wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase, "Save the Bales". Remember those shirts?

Turns out that "Save the Ta-Tas" is more than just a classless sticker. They also attempt to present itself as a serious charitable movement.

Checking out their website I read that Julia Fiske, the designer behind Ta-Tas, saw the perfect opportunity to make some moolah by creating a series of wearables...all of which are emblazoned with her oh-so-catchy Ta-Ta phrase. Fiske obviously embraces the idea that humor helps in life-threatening situations. While I heartily agree with the sentiment, the sad reality is Fiske does not have a good sense of humor.

"
Ta-tas® Brand Clothing cares about women and their families" claims Fiske. Uh-huh. That may very well be...but do you really think being tacky shows that you care more than others? That using a sexist term for breasts is the way to convey that message?

I can't see where the shirts pictured above would be considered apropos in any public setting. At least any setting that doesn't involve a stripper pole. As if to ensure that nobody gets the wrong idea (namely, that the wearer is a world-class asshole), Fiske embellishes her catch phrase with the pink ribbon of breast cancer awareness. I guess that means that you can't hate the shirt, the sentiment or the wearer. Wow, that Julia really knows how to design, huh?

And before you go off half-cocked (now couldn't you just see THAT on a t-shirt promoting awareness of testicular cancer!?!), and label me a prude, a prig or an old man grumpus, save it. I've given plenty of time and money to events/auctions/events that raise funds for breast cancer research (and you can too by clicking here). I just prefer to support worthwhile causes that get it. To my mind, Fiske and her ilk don't.

Just my two ta-tas...er, cents.

I'm all for a t-shirt promoting the awareness of humor-blogs.com.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would like to see their customer list and demographics for purchasers. Top notch, High class all the way. Got to get me some of those!!!

Mat Garretson said...

What I love is that this whole enterprise is FOR PROFIT. Uh-huh.