Somebody probably got fired in the marketing department of one of the most important luxury department store chains in the world, after the latest Bloomingdale's Christmas ad basically just encouraged men to spike women's drinks and then have their way with them - and somehow nobody seemed to notice this.
In the most recent Bloomingdale's Christmas ad, some brilliant copywriter decided it was a good idea to add the phrase "spike your best friend's eggnog when they're not looking" tied to a picture of a classy-looking man (think Jon Hamm's Don Draper) eyeing an unsuspecting, laughing woman - of course, the Internet was quick to point out that the whole thing sounded suspiciously like encouraging date rape, as Jezebel reports.
In a time when one of the biggest family-friendly celebrities in America, comedian and actor Bill Cosby, faces rape accusations from dozens of women of different ages, the Bloomingdale's Christmas ad seems more than a little out of place.
According to The Guardian, numerous scandalized users took to social media (particularly Twitter) to speak out against the message on the Bloomingdale's Christmas ad, as many wondered what kind of logic would lead the chain, a traditional company with over 100 years of history, to think that kind of copy was anywhere near okay.
"In reflection of recent feedback, the copy we used in our recent catalog was inappropriate and in poor taste. Bloomingdales' sincerely apologizes for this error in judgment," said a rep for the brand to Tech Insider, speaking about the wave of controversy surrounding the new Bloomingdale's Christmas ad.
This isn't the first holiday move that's brought controversy recent for a major company, as Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks has been at the receiving end of a major controversy in the past few days, with multiple people accusing their new holiday Red Cups design from being anti-Christian after removing its traditional winter themes.
Due to the fact that the unfortunate Bloomingdale's Christmas ad is in fact a holiday print catalog, it cannot be pulled from stores.
