Sex Scandal Tees Are All the Rage

Apparel mocking fallen pols is 'as American as apple pie'
By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2008 7:40 PM CDT
Sex Scandal Tees Are All the Rage
T-shirts proclaiming 'Zippergate '98' in reference to White House intern Monica Lewinsky's tryst with President Bill Clinton have been hot sellers.   (Associated Press)

Americans love their ironic T-shirts, especially when they make coy references to politicians' sex scandals. The Internet is awash with "Client #9" and "Zippergate '98" gear, but the phenomenon isn't restricted to the digital age. It's version 2.0 of the traditional smear campaign—"as American as apple pie," one political analyst told Radar.

Wearing these tees is a way to collectively point the finger at culprits whose only sin was getting caught. But it can also be a political statement: One T-shirt reads "I am not gay. I just have a wide stance"—a reference to Sen. Larry Craig's bathroom shenanigans. "He was such a hypocrite and those people need to be called out," said the manufacturer. (More sex scandal stories.)

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