This Fashion Brand Thinks Divorce Is Empowerment. It’s Not.

Reformation just dropped a campaign with celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser, complete with a sold-out “Dump Him” sweatshirt and a tagline about designing for women who “don’t need to settle.” Women absolutely should not settle. But this feels less like don’t settle and more like don’t even try. And that energy has not exactly ushered in an era of female happiness.

We already lived through the “men are trash” era. We were promised empowerment. What we got was skyrocketing antidepressant use, plummeting marriage rates, collapsing fertility, and a generation of women quietly admitting they feel lonelier than ever. Poll after poll shows married women, especially conservative married women, report the highest levels of happiness. That may not be fashionable, but it is reality.

This campaign feels out of step with where the culture is actually heading. The biggest consumer markets are not rallying around bitterness. Girlboss-at-all-costs is fading. Women who genuinely like their boyfriends and husbands are in. Brands speaking to family, stability, femininity, and long-term goals are winning. Look at the rise of outlets like Evie Magazine that connect with women who want marriage and babies. That message resonates. It certainly resonates with me.

I love being married. I love having babies. I’m having my second baby this spring. If you ever see me reaching for “Dump Him” merch, you can safely assume it’s postpartum hormones and not a lifestyle pivot.

Empowerment does not have to come wrapped in resentment. You can believe women deserve better without turning divorce into a fashion aesthetic. Real power is building something that lasts. And more women are starting to realize that is the real flex.