Another Controversial T-Shirt

Canada
September 16, 2011 4:00pm CST
Forever 21.com has released a questionable shirt to their racks. The shirts say "Allergic To Algebra" and are made for young women. Not only does this imply that young women are stupid, it also implies that young women must be stupid to be stylish. We already have a shortage of women in the fields of math and science and these types of messages may contribute to keeping this shortage. What is your opinion on this t-shirt message?
1 person likes this
13 responses
@Celanith (2327)
• United States
17 Sep 11
Well I would wear it. I am not stupid though I just really seriously am "allergic to any kind of math due to disabilities and testing proved. It I am not 21 I am 62 now but about 20 years ago I wanted to go to college and become a psycologist. They said in spite of my testing I had to take algebra this from someone who got a ZERO in math in high school. Yeah right. I can do basic math. I did not want to be a rocket scientist or engineer or anything I do not need algebra now and did not need it then and would not have needed it for the degree I wanted to obtain. I gave up because it was abusive of the education system to demand a 43 year old woman who had raised 4 kids and got through life fine without algebra all that time to take a class I would not and did not need. It had to do with wasting my time and money for their profit and gain. So I told them to shove it where the sun don't shine and opted not to get my degree. I am a homemaker, website owner, writer. I counsel people for free if they ask on marriage and relationships because been married 42 years and lived a lot of life. So much for college it was not worth hurting my brain to take a class that would literally cause me headaches and want to make me scream with frusteration. I told them that. So I walked out after doing 3 quarters of college. The message fits me just fine I would wear it proudly I am young at heart if not in body.
• United States
17 Sep 11
43, wow you are young still...I also raised four kids, actually only three, still raising my youngest, but I raised all of them without any algebra.. So I see you are a writer too. what kind of writing? Do you have anything published? I'd really love to get a story I wrote published, but I have to revise it due to my writing skills are rusty, hence why I am taking college classes..
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
17 Sep 11
Hi granite, we are new friends, so you probably don't realize how I laughed when I saw what this t-shirt said, because it is a t-shirt I would wear..I am an older female who is not stupid, I had written an 80,000 word novel, I am creative and had raised three children and still raising my fourth. I was also smart enough to realize that after years of no writing, my skills were rusty, so last year I started taking college classes. I couldn't take just the English and creating writing classes because I am going to college on a grant, so I had to pick a degree. Of course, with my strongest subjects being reading and writing, I am taking the one with the less amount of math, yet I had to take 2 developmental classes in order to get to the first of three classes I have to take in order to earn my degree. So this summer, I thought I would take my first regular math class which was basic algebra 101 and I only took this one class so I wouldn't get overwhelmed with other classes.. Unfortunately, even with the help of some mylotters and my very intelligent 25 y/o son to tutor me, I had to withdraw. I was stumped at factoring cubes, I just couldn't get it. So now I am focusing on just my reading and writing classes and when I have the money for a really good tutor, then I will attempt these math class again.. So I can proudly say, "I am Allergic To Algebra" but it doesn't make me stupid, just in math..
@Celanith (2327)
• United States
17 Sep 11
Ha I see I am not the only one. I did not even get as far as even trying the class I knew I could not do it and knew it would literally cause literal physical pain. I commented on this too after you did so you will have to go find it. I had tests and they learned due to my having had scarlet fever it caused scar tissue damage on some of my brain cells I never had good math skills after that and could not even remember the notes and things from my piano lessons. I have over the years slowly built new brain cells and can do basic math pretty well. Not algebra and I sure did not need it and still don't I would like to find the morons who insist we take it and make them do things they would never dream of doing like living without electricty for a year and running water and washing clothes on a washboard. Did that. Raised 4 kids and they were young back then. Sold things like eggs, berries, garden produce and other stuff. So not math stupid just see no point in algebra and don't get it. I never could get how they hey numbers and letters combine some math combination. Letters are for reading and writing numbers for arithmatic now known as math. I will never attempt algebra as it would literaly make me flip out due to pain in my head trying. I know tried and hubby tried to help so did daughter and sons I would get such a headache and sick to my stomach and cry and they finally realized it was more than emotional it was literally causing physical pain. Which the college dolts could not get. Would get me arrested but I would liked to have smacked him upside the head and given him a head pain for awhile. LOL So I gave up my goal of getting a psycology degree as they insisted I had to have algebra. NOPE I don't and still don't.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Sep 11
Oh I am so sorry Celanith, but I can relate. I never really went into detail here, but I did literary break down in tears many times during my math class, and I am talking hard tears, not little drops..I also would say that letter are for reading not math and my son would laugh.. I got a little of it, but like I said, when it came to factoring cubes, not even some of mylot friends knew how to do that, I went beyond what they had done or they forgot... I also had that urge to smack whoever says we have to take this math, many many times..I am a writer, maybe I can turn this into a good mystery..Math student finds out who was responsible for making a math class mandatory and takes revenge.. See, I can get my revenge legally, by writing about it..
@peavey (16936)
• United States
17 Sep 11
My opinion is that it's funny. I'm not a young woman by any means, but I am allergic to algebra, too. I'm not stupid. I just don't get algebra and have no desire to understand it. I suppose it could be offensive to some, if they were just looking for something to be offended at. Some people go around looking for something to be offended at and miss a lot of fun.
@esteria (396)
• India
16 Sep 11
I believe it is just a humorous t-shirt and not much thought about the extra thinking people may put into it. Last month i just bought a t-shirt that said "Less study less confusion" and i am a phd candidate that is studying more than is normal. So just because your t-shirt says something like that does not mean the girl does not know algebra but only that she has a humorous side also.
@Triple0 (1904)
• Australia
17 Sep 11
Yeah I agree with you too, I love shirts with words and graphics on it, it looks much better than a plain shirt. I have a lot of of worded shirts and funny imaged shirts. I have a shirt that says "sucker" with a bat on it, does it mean I'm a loser? It's a pun anyway. So it's just for fun and laughter, who wants a boring plain shirt when you can have a funny shirt and when someone walks by and sees it, they'll giggle.
• Philippines
23 Sep 11
Seriously, there's nothing wrong with that shirt! I don't know why they make a big deal out of it. It's just fun to see funny statements on shirt and wearing that kind of shirt doesn't mean the wearer is stupid or dumb or whatever. I definitely want to have that shirt and I would be proud to wear that, not just because I hate Algebra but there's really no wrong about it.
@JohnRok1 (2051)
26 Sep 11
I ain't even tried on an Algebra, so can't comment.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
17 Sep 11
i wouldnt take it seriously. we got a t shirt for our daughter from another store here in canada that states 'i'm too pretty to do math'. teens wear crazy shirts all the time. its all in fun.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
16 Sep 11
I've seen Young women wearing Blonde Joke T-Shirts,and I doubt if they're really professing a belief in the stereotype about Blonde Women..It's all about humour. I don't know this shopping site,but would it cater exclusively to Women's clothing? I don't think a Guy in a similar shirt would be any less controversial..There's also plenty geek T-shirts out there that would imply the wearer was using Her Brain..
@Galena (9110)
16 Sep 11
oh it could be a lot worse, trust me. Topman have recently withdrawn two T shirts. one which reads "nice new girlfriend. what breed is she?" and worse still one which reads, "I'm so sorry but" and beneath different excuses with tickboxes beside them "you provoked me I was drunk (ticked) I was having a bad day I hate you I didn't mean it I couldn't help it" I think this is a lot worse than a T shirt worn by a woman proclaiming that she isn't good at Maths. http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2011/sep/14/sexist-topman-tshirts-off-shelves
@celticeagle (159058)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Sep 11
I think that there are alot of shirts with idiotic sayings on them. I even visited on site that sold t-shirts with negative sayings toward men on them for women who had bad relationships. If we refuse to buy these then we send a message that such sayings will not be talorated. I would work on boycotting the say of it.
@madteaparty (2748)
• Japan
17 Sep 11
I think you're trying to read too deep in this matter. T-shirts saying something related to hating studies have existed for ages, for both genders as well, as students find them funny and tend to buy them. Forever 21 makes mainly clothes for women, for young women, so I don't see the big deal. I think the t-shirt just pretends to make a joke related to students.
• Pilot Mountain, North Carolina
17 Sep 11
I would dare say that this t-shirt hardly comes close to being controversial! It's a humorous t-shirt! There's no need to read more into the message than is actually there. Trust me...there are far worse messages on many other shirts. This message does not imply that women are stupid or must be stupid to be stylish.
• United States
17 Sep 11
May Go Green? LOL :D