In U.S.
battle of election T-shirts, 'Nasty Woman' rules
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[October 21, 2016]
By Laila Kearney
NEW YORK (Reuters) - T-shirts inspired by
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's "such a nasty woman"
comment on Democrat Hillary Clinton in Wednesday night's debate were
flying off internet retailers' shelves, offering a possible hint on the
Nov. 8 election result.
Sellers said on Thursday that demand came swiftly and was unrivaled
minutes after the final debate ended.
"I have had nonstop orders since last night," Pennsylvania part-time
graphic designer Naheed Snyder said of her T-shirt, designed simply with
the words "Nasty women vote," selling on Etsy. "It's unbelievable how
well this one has done... there's no comparison."
Merchandise retailers typically see a profit boost during election
season as voters on both sides seek to wear support for their
candidates, particularly around conventions, voting and this year,
debates.
Traffic to Teespring.com, a website that allows users to create, sell
and buy personalized T-shirts, spiked 40 percent during the second
presidential debate and 120 percent in the third debate, the company
said.
Merchandise promoting the Republican candidate was steadily higher
earlier in the race, said Maheesh Jain, co-founder of online
customizable merchandise retailer CafePress. Some of the most popular
items included the slogans "I am a deplorable" and "Hillary for prison."
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At a fundraiser in September, Clinton said Trump had given voice to
hateful rhetoric through his behavior as a candidate, and that "you can
put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the 'basket of
deplorables.'" The following day she said she regretted saying "half"
and that she had been "grossly generalistic."
In the last two weeks, after the release of Trump's 2005 lewd remarks
toward women and an onslaught of women accusing him of sexual harassment
or assault, the items have declined in popularity, Jain said. Trump has
apologized for the remarks and denied the accusations.
"Right now, we're definitely seeing a lot more Hillary merchandise
selling than Trump merchandise," said Jain.
Sales of pro-Clinton merchandise last week were 53.5 percent higher than
for Trump, Jain said.
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![](../images/102116pics/news_z49.jpg)
A supporter of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wears
a T-shirt with an image depicting her as people arrive to hear her
speak about her new book "Hard Choices" at the George Washington
University in Washington June 13, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File
Photo
![](../images/ads/current/richardson_lda_090916.png)
After the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday, Trump's
"nasty woman" comment gave life to a new merchandise line aimed at
assailing him.
"If Hillary Clinton is a nasty woman for being most likely our next
president, maybe that's not such a bad thing," said Amanda Brinkman,
who runs the online feminist-centered accessory shop Google Ghost.
"Maybe that's something you should wear as a badge of honor."
Brinkman's "Nasty Woman" T-shirt, featuring the phrase with a heart
around it, sold more than 6,000 times since she designed and posted
it during Wednesday's debate. The second most-popular item in her
store's history, a pen, at its peak garnered 25 sales in a single
day.
Brinkman, from New Orleans, said she is donating half of the
proceeds to reproductive healthcare provider Planned Parenthood,
which Trump opposes because it offers abortions.
"I thought it only made sense to use his own words to sell a product
that would then benefit Planned Parenthood," Brinkman said.
In past elections, Jain said, her company had seen a direct link
between the most merchandise sold and the candidate that won the
election.
"Typically, whoever is winning in the sales column will win the
election," Jain said. "Right now, we're seeing Clinton winning the
election."
(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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