Forever 21 has a penchant for releasing controversial clothing, but a recent muscle tee emblazoned with the words of Ayn Rand seems puzzling for the fashion line targeted towards teens.
The “Unstoppable Muscle Tee,” priced at $11.80, bears a quote from the author and philospher, framed as a motivational statement:
“The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me.” — Ayn Rand
The quote refers to Rand’s capitalist-based theory of objectivism — that the moral purpose of life is rational self interest — a concept we highly doubt is taught in high school classrooms or discussed among teen lunchroom conversations. And it’s not much of a theory to stand by for an age group that still financially relies on their parents.
The idea of idolizing a contentious figure is reminiscent of the famed Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara t-shirts, made popular by the counterculture of the late 1960s. The t-shirt is now one of the most common shirts found on college campuses, often donned by young people who have no idea what the communist revolutionary symbolized–but check out that heroic-looking dude in the cool hat!
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