"Fingers crossed Bethany Hamilton doesn't lose any more limbs while wearing your ankle magnet."
Iconic surfer Bethany Hamilton came under heavy fire, days ago, for promoting shark repellent bracelet system Sharkbanz following a horrific attack in Florida that left a teenage girl without a leg or hand. What should have been an innocuous post reading “Sharkbanz are designed to help you overcome your fear of sharks 🦈 and to minimize the risk!” was, instead, delivered to the mob who readied the rail that would carry the mother of four, and shark attack survivor herself, out of town.
Commenters denounced her for “capitalizing on fear. Others slammed her for “those scam bracelets that supposedly give some good vibes in your life.” An underwater photographer sneered that Sharkbanz are “great for a false sense of security,” adding that an underwater photographer friend hand fed sharks while wearing one.
Now, snarky sport network Barstool Sports has weighed in, declaring, “If You Purchase A “Shark Repellent” Band From One-Armed Surfer Bethany Hamilton, You Kind of Deserve To Be Bitten By A Shark.”
The piece begins with an introduction to Hamilton’s story before pivoting to Sharkbanz, ridiculing both, and then ending:
But again.. if you’re a surfer who bought this product. If you saw that of all people Bethany Hamilton had one, and you thought to yourself, “Well if she says it works I’m sure it’s safe!”… you can’t be surprised when you’re instantly flanked by a family of Great Whites.
The people at Sharkbanz must wake up laughing. They’re selling $128 magnets. When they founded Sharkbanz back in 2014 they probably didn’t expect it to last more than 6 months. But then people just kept buying their fucking magnets.
“And then, we hired Bethany Fucking Hamilton as are spokesperson. The literal face of being attacked by a shark. And they’re STILL buying them!”
Fingers crossed Bethany Hamilton doesn’t lose any more limbs while wearing your ankle magnet. I’m not sure if your business would be able to survive that one.
Rude.
No?