When Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), indirectly hurled the insult “bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body,” seemingly at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), during a House Oversight Committee hearing last week, she may not have known the near-immediate cultural impact it would have. In the days since, it’s clear she’s realized the power of her alliterative phrase; official Crockett clapback merch is reportedly on the horizon.
On Friday, a mere 24 hours after the insult went viral, spawning everything from memes to music remixes to think pieces, Crockett wrote on X she would be dropping “A Crockett Clapback Collection” that “will feature various swag that includes random things I’ve said.”
On Sunday, Crockett filed a trademark application for rights to the phrase “BLEACH BLONDE BAD BUILT BUTCH BODY,” USA Today reported.
As for what she’ll be selling, the congresswoman’s initial post included a mockup of a black T-shirt with the phrase in white lettering. However, as some users pointed out, her last name was misspelled in the mockup. Nevertheless, the merch is coming, and proceeds from the collection will go to supporting House Democrats, said Crockett.
The phrase emerged during a chaotic and tense exchange during a House Oversight Committee hearing on a vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.
During the meeting, Greene said she thought Crockett’s “fake eyelashes are messing up what [she was] reading.” The Georgia Republican subsequently declared Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn’t have “enough intelligence” to debate her after the New York congresswoman came to Crockett’s defense.
After Greene refused to apologize at AOC’s urging and House Oversight Committee chair James Comer ruled that the comment didn’t break any rules, Crockett asked for clarification about what kind of comment would be considered a violation.
“I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?” she asked.
The phrase sent the room into chaos and has since ricocheted online. While it’s been largely celebrated, there are many who found the use of the term “butch” offensive to masculine-presenting women. Others found the entire squabble and resulting viral moment demonstrative of a decline of decorum amongst elected officials.
While discussing the now infamous moment with Jake Tapper on CNN on Sunday, Crockett said she doesn’t regret releasing the phrase into the ether.
“I signed up to be a member of Congress. That didn’t mean that I was supposed to walk into a position where I’m going to walk in and be disrespected. It’s already a hostile work environment, being there, and we do have rules,” she said.
This isn’t the first time a Black woman’s words during a House Committee meeting reverberated at this magnitude. In 2017, Rep. Maxine Waters gave birth to a movement when she repeatedly declared, “I’m reclaiming my time,” during a House Financial Services Committee hearing. The phrase became a mantra for anyone refusing to let their time and energy be wasted, and the merch remains popular today.