Virginity Rocks for American teenagers

NEW YORK • Some are wearing them in jest. Others sport them sincerely.

But whatever their motivation, teenagers across the United States have been going wild for shirts that bear a chaste declaration: Virginity Rocks.

The clothing items became popular online, thanks to a social media influencer, and are now stocked by a major retail chain with a presence in malls across the country.

The trend has puzzled some school administrators, who have banned the shirts only to face criticism, and other adults, who have wondered if youth abstinence is on the rise.

It can be traced to Danny Duncan, a 27-year-old YouTube personality and prankster, who said he started wearing "Virginity Rocks" shirts in his videos as something of a joke in 2017.

Duncan said his use of the phrase was "tongue in cheek" and most people wore the clothes humorously.

But, he added, he is proud to have seen it catch on with young people who champion abstinence.

"I have sex, obviously, but I want people to do whatever they want to do and not be pressured into anything," Duncan said.

"I sell 'Practice Safe Sex', too, which could be funny, but is also a positive message at the end of the day."

Duncan has built a following of roughly 3.5 million subscribers on YouTube with his prank videos.

In his most popular post, he repeatedly trips and falls while holding a box of coins in places like a mall escalator, startling people around him.

Duncan said according to his YouTube statistics, 92 per cent of his audience is male, the majority of which are aged 24 and younger.

And that audience has wholeheartedly embraced "Virginity Rocks".

He has done branded tours to meet his fans and sell merchandise. He shared Shopify data that showed millions of dollars in online sales.

And a partnership started last year with Zumiez, the teen-focused retailer with more than 700 locations in the US and abroad, has increased his visibility.

The chain, which specialises in action sports brands, prominently showcases "Virginity Rocks" apparel featuring Duncan's name online and in stores, where cardboard cutouts of the floppy-haired YouTuber grin at customers in some locations.

The wares, which include bucket hats (US$40 or S$56.80), lanyards (US$12) and slide sandals (US$40), alongside the ubiquitous hoodies (US$55), have been a hit.

Duncan said Zumiez had told him it has sold more than 400,000 pieces of merchandise.

The success of "Virginity Rocks" merchandise has startled some in Duncan's orbit.

"We're doing these meet-and-greets for Zumiez and thousands of kids show up and the whole mall is covered in 'Virginity Rocks'," Mr Stefan Toler, Duncan's manager, said in an interview.

"It started as more of a joke, but now it's an actual brand where we're outselling Thrasher, Nike, Adidas and all these brands in Zumiez, and we're like, 'What the hell?' Even Zumiez is like, 'What's happening?'"

He theorised that those buying the "Virginity Rocks" apparel were split between teenagers who endorsed the message and Duncan's fans, who were wearing it ironically.

Still, he said, he believes the popularity of the shirt is making virginity cool among Duncan's supporters.

"I'm 32, so back when I was in high school, you would not say that, but he's made it cool with his fans in general," Mr Toler said.

NYTIMES