I’ve often seen this video posted on social media. This little girl is perhaps not so unlike me when I was young. If I had the opportunity to meet her, I imagine discussing how that shirt came into being. It was likely designed by a junior to mid-level designer at a t-shirt/design company that contracts with the (by the looks of it) large discount store she finds herself in now. The designer probably did not give much thought to it. They may be in their 20s or early 30s – too old to relate to a kid but too young to relate to a parent who thinks about what we message to kids. They are making what they think their employers, suppliers, and average families want – which amounts to things they’ve seen before. Kinda current, but generally traditional and not too different or controversial.
There is no mastermind or conspiracy. There is just a general laziness mixed with a mild fear or servility driven by the desire for job security or advancement. The employee wants to stay employeed and their employer wants to keep the contract.