The Great Olivia Rodrigo Bucket Hat Disaster of 2021

Olivia Rodrigo fans looking forward to the singer’s Sour merch drop have been largely disappointed with their orders. So far, fans have reported: dress-length tops that were meant to be crop tops; bracelets and jewelry that says “sur” or “sous” instead of “sour”; and a bright purple long-sleeve t-shirt that should be Rodrigo’s iconic lavender.

Somehow though, the mishap that strikes me as being the most unfortunate is the ”it’s brutal out here” bucket hat, which is only large enough to accommodate a small child’s head.

Brutal indeed!

People complaining about the merch online—most of whom are doing so on TikTok with dramatic “expectation vs. reality”-like reveals—have made it clear that their frustration is not aimed at Rodrigo herself, but rather the company that made the products.

“This is a darker purple, I will give her that—not her [Rodrigo]! Whoever made this merch,” one TikTok user clarified, referring to a muted t-shirt on the site. Nonetheless, the result, she said, was “very—very Michaels.” And she wanted her money back.

Following the barrage of complaints, the company behind the merch, Ceremony of Roses, said it’s willing to grant fans refunds or requests for exchanges. “We are committed to providing the highest quality goods and services to Olivia’s fans and are aware of issues with a few of the products,” a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News earlier this month, adding that the company is “working to resolve these issues moving forward.”

In the meantime, Rodrigo’s website now warns fans that the products they see are purely for “illustrative purposes”: “Actual product detailing may show minor variance,” the recently added disclaimer reads.

Fans who received full-length “crop” tops and misspelled merch may have some quibbles with the idea that these variances are “minor.” But now we know: The bucket hats (which seem to actually come in a nice shade of purple?) make a great gift for the baby in your life.