From the David & Goliath Fall '05 girls T-shirt line, a tasteful choice joking about pedophilia, the "Lil' Slut" number:

In Target yesterday in West Seattle, I noticed among the girls fashion accessories a pink fabric picture frame emblazoned with the words "Boys Suck." Also a Disney "license character" T-shirt with a skunk, and the words, "Boy Stink...a little." Boy-bashing is literally in fashion, as the Alameda Times-Star has reported.

No parenting expert interviewed suggests that mean-spirited slogans on clothing will destroy a young man's sense of self-worth. They do worry, however, that derogatory and sexist messages contribute to creating a hostile atmosphere.

"If we said that about blacks or Jews or Norwegians even, you'd be stoned immediately," (parenting author and columnist Armin) Brott says. But boy-bashing, at least in some circles, is fashionable. It's also big business. Artist and children's author Jim Benton, the creator of the "It's Happy Bunny" line of stickers, notebooks, air fresheners and clothing, has helped sell millions of products since 2000 through retail chains such as Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic.

Despite the friendly name, the cute smiley-faced bunny character has a bad attitude that's reflected in edgy mottoes, such as "Boys lie and kind of stink..."

When Benton originated It's Happy Bunny, he expected the products bearing his artwork -- including a handful containing anti-boy phrases -- to appeal to young women ages 16 to 26. "It actually turned out to be much broader in appeal than we thought," he says. In the Bay Area, for instance, It's Happy Bunny can be found in shopping malls at Claire's, a nationwide retail chain that targets its accessories to girls ages 7 to 12. "The idea behind it is not to suggest that all boys lie or stink," Benton says. "All I'm trying to do is make people laugh."

So, remember, "it's just a joke," when girls wear T-shirts like this:

The wit of Benton's ouvre is suited to the times:

I'll admit there's a lot to be said for garden-variety abusiveness and nihilism. But I'm waiting for the "edgy" adult Ts promoting embezzlement, insider trading, wife-beating, drunk driving, heroin addiction and cop-shooting. I take "joking around" seriously.

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Posted by Matt Rosenberg at August 22, 2005 04:42 PM