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Rachael Ray Dunkin Donuts Ad Pulled Over Keffiyeh
By
John Del Signore
Published May 28, 2008
Modified May 29, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 28, 2008
Modified May 29, 2008
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Heads up, hipsters: Those keffiyeh scarves, long associated with Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian resistance, are officially ‘so over.’ While the choice of keffiyeh as fashion accessory – at least when sported by sweaty, coked-up white kids mincing for Cobra Snake – has about as much political heft as a neon Che Guevara thong, the trend’s death knell has been rung not by a sudden surge in good taste but by divisive food celebrity Rachael Ray.
First Ray mortified hipsters by hosting a party at Austin’s SXSW indie rock snob-in, now she’s ruined the keffiyeh for everyone by wearing it in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial. Next she’ll want to join in the dodgeball games at McCarren Park Pool – unless she’s stopped, which the Dunkin' Donuts corporation seems determined to do; the company has yanked the commercial after getting complaints from incensed hipsters. Scratch that – incensed conservatives.
Fox News pundit Michelle Malkin led the pack decrying Ray’s keffiyeh, calling it a symbol of the “murderous Palestinian jihad.” But the company denies that their perky spokesperson was trying to subliminally link their iced coffee to Israeli opposition: “In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design. It was selected by her stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended. However, given the possibility of misperception, we are no longer using the commercial.” Ray was too busy organizing a fabulous rock-throwing party in Ramallah to comment.
Tagged
ad
commercial
dunkin' donuts
Keffiyeh
Michelle Malkin
palestine
pulled
rachael ray
scarf
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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