American Flag Tank Top Selling Out at $1,515: Fashionable or Disrespectful?

Question

Patriotism is officially out of style.

A tank top designed to look like a ripped and burned American flag is selling out this spring, the "Today" show reports. And trend-setters are willing to spend $1,515 to show their disrespect for our country.

The tank top from French design house Balmain, which has ***** that look like cigarette burns, sold out within minutes on e-commerce site Net-a-Porter, according to the New York Post. And celebs like Ke$ha and Kate Bosworth have been seen wearing knock-offs.


But not everyone finds flag-bashing so fashionable.

"Our flag has witnessed many sacrifices. It is the glue that holds our patriotism together. Shame on those who defile it in any way," retired Army soldier George Alatzas, who runs flag activism website "It's All About the Flag," told the Post.

Do you find this tank top disrespectful, not to mention a serious waste of money? Or is it edgy and cool?

Answer 1

I would be alright without the burns. Unbelievable coming from france. I'm sure they would be speaking german if not for the men who held this flag in highest regard.

Answer 2

bearly,, who the **** would pay that for that, if disrespecting it makes that kind of proffit. maybe i should start, not like theres much respect for it any more anyhow, where rulled by idiots in support of bigger idiots, paid for by the people they screw ever chance they get. america the land where illegals get more and have more than citizens... yea, i love this country, but really questioning why.

Answer 3

Wow, where is the:

"It is not disrespectful, but it is Kitsch!" Option?

Answer 4

It's called wear it proud; ...by the dawn's early light,... our flag was still there!

Answer 5

Fashionable isn´t the word I choose, but I like it. Even more, I think is a sign of patriotism or, out of the USA, a way to say "I like USA": nobody wears symbols of something that hate or doesn´t like. Nobody with common sense. Sure you don´t know you never see a Spaniard dressed with the colors of our flag (red & yellow), but our reasons are totally different as yours: our flag was, during forty years(1936-1975) the main symbol of a civil war and a dictatorship. Lucky you.

Answer 6

I do not see where it would be disrespectful, but the price is outrageous!
Where the red, white is blue is fine I think.

Answer 7

This is disrespectful:

Answer 8

...I remember the stuff we wore when I got back from Vietnam (we wore shorts made from REAL flags) in protest of what America had done to us in that ***** little war-for-profit. Maybe some disrespect will jolt these congressional morons into realizing the folly of invading countries who've done nothing to us (just so war profiteers can steal mega-bucks from the taxpayers.)

Answer 9

I like you your ok in my book

Answer 10

It is fashionable, but with the burns, disrespectful. And only if it is NOT a true American Flag.

Answer 11

acctually when the flag gets all old N messed up like this shirt looks your supposed to burn it.
thats what the US Military says,
I know, put it On & then i will set it on fire.

Answer 12

Well, I don't think it looks fashionable, or economically sensible, but it's not disrespectful either.

Answer 13

The flag is backwards and burnt. TOTALLY disrespectful.

Answer 14

id wear it. but im not in america. but i would wear it if you move the dot right one, so it says $15.15, then id wear it

Answer 15

I like flag stuff....but would never ever pay that for anything like that......Better be the original Betsie Ross flag!!!! Which is tattoo'd on my leg....along with my german and irish flags. ;)

Answer 16

And as long as it isn't made out of a real american flag we are good.

Answer 17

This is an old argument. As long as you don't make it out of a flag, there should be no problem.

Answer 18

The burn ***** make it disrespectful and they know it! I'm sick of the lack of respect for our country.........growing daily with our current leader who is also non-patriotic and does not believe that America is great.

Answer 19

It's not only your country, I live here in Europe and just today I saw these shirts being sold, but they were also seeing similar ones with the UK flag, the Canadian flag, the German flag etc. So I doubt this was meant as an offense against the states.

Answer 20

I knew that. I meant that flag burning in protest, while disrespectful, should not be illegal.

Answer 21

I'm not greatly offended by things like this. Flag burning really should be legal if you ask me.

Answer 22

gross, a waste of money, and they make it look like the flag is something that can be ripped and torn
even I know that much

Answer 23

A stroke of capitalist fashion genius.

Answer 24

Heck! I have a top just like that apart form the burn marks and frilly bits on the side! Im more concerned about the price as mine cost about £15
To be honest i think patriotism is inside. not on clothes, posters, flags, lighters so forth.

Answer 25

It's a piece of fabric. Patriotism is in your heart, if you really need to practically worship a piece of material then to prove you're patriotic it's a shame.
(I stand by saying that it's practically worshipping it because I'm a Christian and yet still believe people should be able to burn the Bible if they want to - so this flag thing is going further than that - hence, practically worship!)

Answer 26

The fact that we even have the right to burn our flag is awesome. Wearing it shouldn't be offensive to intelligent Americans.

Answer 27

Sometimes people forget what freedom really means and try to pass laws to limit it because they forget in the *** it's just a flag. The greatest symbol of our country isn't our flag but our freedom.

Answer 28

If you had flag underwear and made skid marks would that be disrespectful?

Answer 29

I voted for disrespectful, but I realize that fashion has a part to play in this. If you feel it's disrespectful, don't purchase it. If you see it on someone else and it offends you, look away. Pretty simple solution, really.

Answer 30

It looks like a flag that has seen battle.

Answer 31

Maybe there's a good reason other countries aren't too happy with the US hmm? Think about that...

Answer 32

This is a french designed shirt.

Answer 33

Fashionable if you rock it.

Answer 34

Well, NO. It looks terrible.
But not disrespectful either.

Answer 35

It's just a "fashion statement", it means nothing.

Answer 36

Wearing a flag is not disrespectful, it's expressing your national pride. But wearing a flag that is burned, and purposefully so? That's a different story. Free speech and all that may allow it, and it should be allowed, but I'm not looking kindly on it.

Answer 37

What about skid marks? lol...

Answer 38

The burns and the ***** makes it disrespectful to me. If it didn't have those burn and ***** then it would be respectful, plus the cost of it is way too much. Never in my life would I ever buy a tank top for that much money!

Answer 39

And I believe it's against the flags code of conduct as well... :-/

Answer 40

If all Americans were required to serve some time in our military this wouldnt happen.

Answer 41

dumb dumb want gum gum...who pays that much for a shirt..dumb dumb...i could buy 100 shirts for that...