Crop that damn top: AEW’s lack of merch geared towards women

For a relatively small platform, Black Girl Wrestling has a rather strong brand identity. I love Kenny Omega, I crafted a (joking, kinda) rob list and a ranking wrestlers on their assumed ability (or lack thereof) to lay edges. 

Then of course, there is the satirical  petition I drafted in favor of pastel crop tops following Swerve vs. Hangman that a large congregation of illiterate (and presumably balding) wrestling fans misread as a demand to get AEW kicked off air entirely. My persistent, annoying demands for pastel crop tops can be traced back to the very beginnings of the platform and while the vast majority of my comments are made in jest, there is an element of truth behind the need for gear for the girlies. 

I implore you to go to the shop AEW website. There, you can find the likes of AEW sunglasses, camo shorts, pet leashes and pickleball sets, alongside every men’s/unisex shirt under the sun. Yet, when you click “women’s wear” there are literally two items, a rainbow hoodie and a random pair of branded shorts. Why create the category as an option if you did not plan on creating any merchandise specifically geared towards women?

Now let me say this, obviously women and other folks besides men can wear the unisex or men’s merchandise, that is not the crux of the issue. Women or other excluded folks could all create our own lines of products, like the incredible ladies at Wrestling Winedown. We could get deep in the etsy trenches or offbrand sites and find some real hidden gems. But we shouldn’t have to. 

In maybe the least shocking news ever, women watch wrestling and women have wallets. Not taking your female fanbase into account when you design and market merch is not only super exclusionary, it’s also a flawed business practice. Between Willow’s bright color scheme, Hangman’s butterfly jeans and  Kyle Fletcher’s self cropped pink protostar shirts, there have been so many opportunities to financially capitalize on the momentum AEW has for their female fanbase. The core problem is the lack of consideration towards women’s audiences specifically. 

Anyone with a pulse and a social media account will know that Hangman Adam Page is a huge draw for female viewers. Mercedes Moné is wildly popular all of the time, but particularly now as she holds 6 different titles across the globe. The Golden Lovers have a cult-like following of young women. Not designing merchandise targeted towards women  is leaving money on the table. 

I will give AEW credit where it is due, they have recently begun to dabble in other colors besides midnight black in their shirt designs. Now, we push for softer colors, and more contemporary designs. 

When you consider the size of the female fanbase, it’s truly not an insane ask for some tote bags, or some water bottles, or yes, even some pastel crop tops. A baby blue “girls love arson” hangman crop top would sell out in minutes.