Teen clothing retailer Aeropostale has launched a clothing line designed by Nash Grier, a “God-fearing Christian” with 9.9 million followers on Vine. Grier’s been accused of creating “sexist, racist and homophobic” video clips.
This summer, social media star Nash Grier made headlines after posting to Vine — that’s Twitter’s video social media platform — an angry clip that said only gay people get HIV/AIDS. It ended with him yelling, “Fag!“
After pressure, Grier removed the offensive missive. The 16-year old, who has 9.9 million followers on Vine, 3.61 million on Twitter, and 3.7 million subscribers on YouTube, issued an all-purpose apology.
In August, the Huffington Post labeled Grier “The Most Popular Kid In The World,” but noted,Â
He’s been called sexist, racist and homophobic in connection with a Vine telling girls how to be attractive; another video mocking Asian names; and a clip in which Nash suggests only gay people are afflicted by HIV, then shouts “fags!” while barely hiding a grin. Nash apologized for the HIV clip, claiming he’d been “in a bad place” when he posted the video, since deleted, in April of last year. Yet that “bad place” seems to have been more than a few-month phase: He’s also purged multiple pejorative tweets about “homos” or being a “damn queer” that once littered his Twitter feed, as well as a post from May 2012 that read, “Gay rights? Nahhh.”
Of course, he’s 16, but was it wise for teen clothing retailer Aeropostale (NYSE:ARO), which has a market cap of $237 million, to sign him and his video pals — Hayes Grier, Cameron Dallas and Carter Reynolds — to design a clothing line?
Clearly, the struggling teen style purveyor has invested in this endeavor, and is taking full advantage of Grier’s top dog social media status to sell their clothing. (And are those fake Twitter accounts touting Grier’s name and the new line?)
“While Aeropostale touted Nash Grier, who has more than 9 million followers, as the ‘King of Vine’ in a release yesterday, numerous customers have been outraged with the retailer’s decision to work with him,” Buzzfeed reports.
Marketers are increasingly tempted by the vast reach and youthful appeal of Instagram, Vine and YouTube stars for ad campaigns, but unlike typical celebrity endorsers, these self-made stars have often been through little vetting, or examination by the media.
Some responses via Twitter:
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Image via Twitter