The viral #IAmJaneDoe movement centered on the Cornell Seven case has quickly spawned a commercial wave. According to WIRED, the clothing brand Cherrykitten published an Instagram post selling shirts and crop tops with the slogan “I Am Jane Doe” and promised to donate 5 percent of net sales to the National Organization for Women. The post drew immediate backlash from people who saw it as tasteless capitalization on a sexual assault case, and the brand later deleted the post and apologized for “turning a real and deeply serious situation into a product.”
Cherrykitten is not alone. WIRED found more than 6,000 results on Amazon for “I Am Jane Doe” T-shirts, plus hundreds of listings on Etsy and Redbubble selling sweatshirts, hats, mugs, and bumper stickers. Many listings appear to use AI-generated photos of models, and some include true-crime tags. One Etsy seller, a survivor who asked not to be named, said she created her sweatshirts out of solidarity: “We see you, we believe you, and we stand with you.”
The flood of products has raised concerns even among those who support the movement. Simintha Esson of RAINN told WIRED that fundraising to support survivors is acceptable, but exploiting Jane Doe’s name for profit is not. That caution appears justified: the website I Am Jane Doe Merch claims a portion of proceeds will go to Jane Doe herself, but her attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, told WIRED there are no authorized fundraising sites for her and urged the public to donate to RAINN instead. WIRED notes that none of the seven accused fraternity members have been charged, and all have denied wrongdoing.