Rachael Ray's "Unpatriotic" Donuts Ad Dunked
Dunkin' Doughnuts
Not even Rachael Ray could perk her way out of this predicament.
The ever-bubbly TV chef had her new Dunkin' Donuts online ad campaign yanked following a hullabaloo over her neckwear.
Ray is pictured in the spots wearing a fringed black-and-white scarf, which some self-appointed fashion police say is tantamount to supporting Muslim extremism and terrorism.
The doughnut purveyors said in a statement that the ad was pulled over the weekend due to "the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee."
In the spot, which began running May 7, Ray holds an iced coffee while sporting a scarf that conservative critics say resembled a traditional Arab headdress called a kaffiyeh.
Leading the outcry over what she dubbed the "keffiyeh kerfuffle" was right-wing blogger and columnist Michelle Malkin, who said that Ray's wardrobe choice made her appear sympathetic to jihadists.
"Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities and left-wing icons," Malkin groused.
Dunkin' Brands Inc. chafed at Malkin's apparel appraisal, insisting the scarf had a paisley pattern and was selected by a stylist for the shoot. "Absolutely no symbolism was intended," the company said.
But that didn't stop the pastry pushers from buckling to the unpatriotic allegations and pulling the spots. (The company says Ray will continue to hawk coffee and baked goods in future TV, print and Web advertisements, presumably draped in Old Glory.)
In a Wednesday blog post, Malkin applauded Dunkin's decision. "It's refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the concerns of Americans opposed to Islamic jihad and its apologists."
Ah, life, liberty, a cup of joe and a deep-fried dough...Without such sustenance, the terrorist would surely win.
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