Bloomingdale’s Ad – Tis the Season to be Rapey
- Funny
- Offensive
Bloomingdale’s Ad – Tis the Season to be Rapey
November 12, 2015 – Bloomingdale’s is in quick retreat after an ad its holiday season catalogue sparked controversy online with many feeling it encouraged date rape. The ad, shown here, shows a Robin Thicke-looking fellow leering at an unsuspecting woman with the words, “Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking.”
The only folks hitting the eggnog this early in the calendar appear to be the Bloomingdale’s marketing department who somehow approved the advertisement. In a year when Bill Cosby has been pummeled for a history of such lurid behavior, the ad sent droves to Twitter to express their disapproval.
Rape culture at its finest. Well done, #Bloomingdales. You are garbage. https://t.co/5ZQSzrPPHN
— Lainey Croucher (@ebalagia) November 10, 2015
That Bloomingdales ad is horrific. How was that ever approved let alone thought of as a good idea?! Despicable.
— Kirby (@oc_11) November 10, 2015
Or don’t and quit being a creep… #Bloomingdales pic.twitter.com/Liu8DKMMnP
— Kristen Alderson (@krisalderson) November 10, 2015
The following statement was released by the high-end retailer to MSNBC:
“In reflection of recent feedback, the copy we used in our current catalog was inappropriate and in poor taste. Bloomingdale’s sincerely apologizes for this error in judgement.”
Even with the Bloomingdale’s mea culpa, many feel that clearly the ad is intended to be a light-hearted joke and “everyone should just lighten up.”