Last weekend, the clothing brand Cherrykitten published an Instagram post promoting T-shirts, crop tops, and sports bras with the slogan “I Am Jane Doe” emblazoned on the front. “ALL OF US ARE UNTIL NONE OF US ARE,” the company wrote in the caption, adding that it would donate 5 percent of the net sales proceeds to the National Organization for Women.
A reference to the “Cornell Seven” case, in which an anonymous woman accused seven Cornell University fraternity members of sexual assault, among other counts, #IAmJaneDoe started going viral last week. Many sexual assault survivors used the hashtag in solidarity with the alleged victim after trolls attempted to dox her on social media. (All seven of those accused have denied wrongdoing, and none have been charged with a crime.)
The message, while powerful, may have been ill-suited for appropriation by Cherrykitten, a brand perhaps best known for selling tank tops and crop tops with slogans like “Pls do not give me a cigarette no matter what I say” and “AI cannot generate tits like these.” The company received immediate backlash on social media for selling the shirts, with many accusing it of tastelessly capitalizing off of a grisly sexual assault case. “Using the cornell seven sexual assault as a merch idea and then donating ONLY 5% to a womens charity.. oh cherrykitten.. you’re fucked,” one tweet with 2.2 million views read.
The brand removed the post, issuing an apology for “turning a real and deeply serious situation into a product,” according to a screengrab of a now-deleted Instagram post. (Cherrykitten did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment.) But Cherrykitten is far from the only brand attempting to market apparel around the Cornell Seven case, which has garnered outrage around the world.
On Amazon, there are more than 6,000 results for “I Am Jane Doe” T-shirts; on platforms like Etsy and Redbubble, there are hundreds of sellers promoting such merch, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bracelets, mugs, and bumper stickers. The listings, which include keywords like “feminist,” “true crime,” “protest,” and (weirdly, on Redbubble) “lizzieborden,” often feature AI-generated photos of women with shiny hair and broad grins modeling the merch.
One such seller, who requested her name be withheld to protect her privacy given the sensitive nature of the case, is the owner of a three-year-old shop on Etsy which sells T-shirts with progressive slogans. Her “I Am Jane Doe” sweatshirts in shades like ash, dark chocolate, and purple cost between $19.53 and $27.93; she’s sold 21 since October 1.