Maga is in meltdown over a preppy pink sweater for men. So, what exactly is the problem? | Ellie Violet Bramley

The outrage a J Crew jumper has provoked shows that the US right's sense of masculinity is far more fragile than it would care to admit

A men's jumper by the all-American preppy label J Crew has sent thousands of Maga Americans into meltdown. From a fashion point of view, it couldn't be more innocuous. It's got a crew neck. It's made from wool. It has a Fair Isle pattern at the upper yoke. There's nothing asymmetric about it, no fringing or tassels, no slogan blasted across the front; no Make America Kind Again". So what's the big deal? Reader, the jumper is pink.

The main storm broke underneath a tweet by conservative social media commentator Juanita Broaddrick, in which she asked: Are you kidding me?? Men, would you wear this $168 sweater?" The consensus among her followers was a resounding no, and not because of its price. No man in my family would wear it!" wrote MOMof DataRepublican". My husband wouldn't use a pink bathroom towel," assured another. Another X user was even more passionate: HELL NO. I'm a man, not gay and won't be dressing up as a Golden Girl anytime soon." Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican congressman, called the sweater something a sorority girl would wear in the 80s". I think he meant it witheringly; I read that and think it sounds quite fun.

Ellie Violet Bramley is a freelance writer