Connie Britton Has Some ~Thoughts~ for People Criticizing Her $380 ‘Poverty Is Sexist’ Sweatshirt

During the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, actress Connie Britton’s sported a “Poverty Is Sexist” shirt that has come under a lot of scrutiny. While many were confused about what the shirt’s slogan actually meant, Britton explained that it was her unique take on the Time’s Up movement. However, people also took issue that the shirt (which was supposed too be shedding light on poverty and the economic problems that people face) cost $380. 

 

In the work that I’ve been doing with organizations like @undp and @onecampaign who are driven to fighting poverty around the world I have come to one undeniable conclusion: nowhere in the world, including the US, are women economically equal to men, nor do they have the same economic opportunities as men. That needs to change. Because when that changes, economies change, national and global security change, health and life expectancy change. Women do so much of the work in the world and are paid less, or not at all for it. Period. Women and children are the greatest bearers of poverty in our country and the world. Period. Unacceptable. And changeable. Think bigger. Think better. #timesup #povertyissexist

A post shared by connie britton (@conniebritton) on Jan 9, 2018 at 11:00am PST

Many people found it ironic that the Lingua Franca sweater cost so much, and pointed out the disconnect between the price and the message. 

I understand your point however, sell it for $10 bucks and you’ll get a lot more of us ordinary people to buy it and you’ll probably raise a lot more money in the long run. Most of us who want to help don’t have $380 to spend on a sweater but certainly have 5 or 10 bucks.

— will (@willishl) January 10, 2018

For me it’s the fact that it speaks about poverty… It’s a beautiful sweater, but a shirt for $20-30 bucks would have meant more to me with the same words…

— Heather Hildebrand (@pikespeakahh) January 10, 2018

However, Britton was able to handle the criticism like a pro. She pointed out that while her sweater still had a steep price tag, it was significantly less than the designer dresses that are common at these type of events. She also shed a bit more information on  the now infamous sweater, siting that $100 of the purchase of each sweater went directly to Camfed, a non profit dedicated to stopping poverty in Africa. 

For those concerned with the price of my Globes sweater I just don’t think a $5000 gown would have added to the conversation in the same way. And @linguafrancanyc who designed it, inspired by @ONECampaign, is donating $100 of each purchase to @camfed https://t.co/9pwJwPecNd

— Connie Britton (@conniebritton) January 10, 2018

Hello Giggles also noted that the price of the shirt might have also increased because it was designed and created ethically, explaining, “The reason why some shirts cost $20 is because they are NOT ethically made and because they rely on factory workers who live in poverty.” 

While it seems like people can find a scandal in just about anything, I think that its safe to say that Britton’s “Poverty is Sexist” shirt does a lot more good than harm. 

• golden globes
• Time’s up