Debate continues over the exact nature of the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and what role their “friendship” played in the collapse of Pitt’s marriage to Jennifer Aniston. As women choose sides, the controversy has turned into a tale of two shirts in which women buy shirts to show their support.

T-shirts for Team Aniston and Team Jolie

Cashing in on this controversy is Kitson, a business savvy boutique that sells baseball jerseys that say “Team Aniston” gold “Pretty team.” The $30 trendy t-shirts, made by White Trash Charms, were recently featured in People magazine. Women can now show the world where their loyalty lies. So far, the Aniston team is in the lead.

Who chooses which side and why

Have you ever wondered who chooses which side and why? In a recent interview with Brittany Schaeffer of the New York Daily News, she asked me for my opinion on the type of women who support Angelina, who support Jen; and why women choose the sides they choose.

Read on for my assessment of the players on Team Aniston and Team Jolie:

team aniston

Women who support Jen by wearing Team Aniston shirts tend to be

o Scorned wives, ex-wives, and single women who have been cheated on in the past. With an estimated 38-53 million women being cheated on, it’s no surprise that Team Aniston T-shirts currently outsell Team Jolie T-shirts by a 20-to-1 margin.

o Women who feel that Angelina deliberately seduced Brad to get him away from Jen, even if she didn’t actually sleep with him, yet.

o Women who blame Angelina for the breakup between Brad and Jen.

o Women who see Angelina as a predator with a hidden agenda that included seducing her co-star in Mr. and Mrs. Herrero. (Angelina admits that she always falls for her male co-stars.)

o Women who identify with Jen’s sweet, innocent, girl-next-door image.

o Women who believe that Angelina’s self-described role of being a shoulder for Brad to cry on was part of her plan to entrap him.

o Women who are convinced that showing Brad what a wonderful mother he is was part of Angelina’s strategy to win Brad’s heart, especially since children are her strong suit.

o Women who feel that Jen was treated unfairly in this whole matter.

team jolie

Women who align with Angelina wearing the Team Jolie jersey tend to be

o Women who identify with the lover or the “Other Woman”

o Sexy, sensual, seductive types or women who identify with these traits.

o Women who subscribe to the “put your man first and do whatever it takes to keep him” theory.

o Women who blame Jen for putting her career before her husband’s.

o Women who feel that since Brad was so convinced about having children, Jen should have given him a child. Since money was not an issue, they could have easily hired a babysitter so Jen could continue her acting career.

o Women who feel that if a woman doesn’t do the things necessary to hold on to her man, then she deserves to lose him.

o Women who feel Angelina was not to blame for Brad and Jen’s divorce.

o Women who feel that Brad and Angelina make a better (sexier, more interesting) couple than Bran and Jen.

Meanwhile, the T-shirts are selling like hot cakes as women choose sides and show their support. And the controversy is boosting the box office sales of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which remains in the top 5 summer movies. Team Jolie tees showed a brief increase in sales the week Mr. & Mrs. Smith was released, but Team Aniston tees still hold the lead. (They’re on backorder right now, so if you want one, there’s currently a 2-week wait.)

no one blames brad

What is interesting to note is that hardly anyone is holding Brad accountable for his role in the situation. Most people overlook the fact that regardless of the state of Brad’s marriage at the time, he made the final decision on how far to take the situation with Jolie. Much of the blame for the division falls squarely on his shoulders. He obviously saw the situation unfold, but did nothing to cap it or break the growing friendship between him and Angelina Jolie.

Pitt continues to maintain that he and Jolie are “just friends.” But new photos of them as a couple seem to pop up every week. The most recent appeared in People magazine. Maybe Brad needs a T-shirt that says “We are only friends” to help you get the message across. Meanwhile, Angelina continues to insist that she and Brad never had sex. How about a t-shirt for her that says “We are NOT having an affair.”

Inappropriate friendships can ruin a marriage

Directly or indirectly, Brad’s “friendship” with Angelina appears to have been a contributing factor in the collapse of his marriage to Jen. Inappropriate friendships with members of the opposite sex can undermine a marriage even if there is no sex involved. The Pitt-Jolie “friendship” is a perfect example of that. Whatever the exact nature of their relationship, it’s obvious that the two are very close. Inappropriate friendships like these can lead to emotional infidelity, which can be just as destructive to a marriage as reality. And sexual infidelity is not usually left behind. I think what we really need is a t-shirt that warns everyone “Today’s inappropriate friendship is tomorrow’s extramarital affair.”

FREE quiz and tip sheet

For FREE copy of a questionnaire explaining how to identify inappropriate friendships and a tip sheet on how to prevent these types of friendships from turning into extramarital affairs, please email [email protected] with “Friendship Quiz and Tip Sheet” in the subject line.