DC really screwed itself over with its “no jokes” policy, because now the company can’t claim this T-shirt, currently available in the juniors section at Walmart, is a joke:
Sexist message aside, the most offensive thing about this shirt is that it assumes teenage girls don’t know that superheroes can’t have wives, or husbands, or any close relationships, because those people will inevitably be kidnapped by supervillains and killed (or at least tied up and dangled over a vat of boiling oil). Everybody knows that, Walmart.
This isn’t the first time DC (or Marvel, for that matter) has been criticized for allowing shirts encouraging girls to live vicariously through their irradiated vigilante boyfriends to hit stores. It’s not even the only shirt people are mad about right now. And while the shirts are made by individual licensees and not the comics companies themselves, DC and Marvel do have oversight over the designs and are supposed to approve them before they hit stores (key words “supposed to”). To this end, DC has issued an apology:
DC Comics is home to many of the greatest male and female Super Heroes in the world. All our fans are incredibly important to us, and we understand that the messages on certain t-shirts are offensive. We agree. Our company is committed to empowering boys and girls, men and women, through our characters and stories. Accordingly, we are taking a look at our licensing and product design process to ensure that all our consumer products reflect our core values and philosophy.
On the other hand, Batman does have a butler.
[via Gamma Squad]