A recent petition on Change.org caused a stir among fashion sites with regards to a line of T-shirts that were made available on Spreadshirt.com.
With Ioana Urma as the designer, these crew-neck shirts were printed with attention-grabbing messages, such as "Alluringly Anorexic" and "Breathtakingly Bony", to name a few.
According to Israeli Matan Uziel who first made the petition against such apparel, the slogans emphasized an offensive message, suggesting how eating disorders can be made attractive and appealing.
This set of tees from Spreadshirt was compared to Urban Outfitters' controversial Kent State sweatshirt with which its red spatters and frayed look was condemned for bringing to mind the 1970 Kent State Massacre.
Following the posting of the petition, Spreadshirt CEO Philip Rooke responded with an official statement that emphasized the positive intentions behind the said line of shirts.
"The specific shirts mentioned are part of an artist's work challenging people to consider body types and the impossibility of conforming to being a supermodel," Rooke stated. He highlighted the meaning behind the apparel's artwork, which was to increase awareness with regards to issues relating to health, fitness and beauty.
In the petition against such clothing, Uziel concluded that, despite favorable intentions behind the production of the shirts, these should have been placed in the right context and described through the website in relation to the actual issue or motive.
With proactive online communities, the petition against Spreadshirt's line of tees and the ambiguous statement has made headlines among sites that tackle fashion and beauty, including Refinery 29 and People.
While Spreadshirt and their designer has sought to highlight inspirational messages through their printed tees, criticisms among social media users have drawn attention to the need for sensitivity towards health illnesses and disorders.
