Columnist Susan Snyder: In Vegas, this acronym no big deal

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2003 | 8:23 a.m.

A middle-aged woman wearing an "Eeyore Pep Squad" T-shirt stopped in front of Desert Passage's French Connection United Kingdom clothing shop Sunday afternoon and stared at the letters on the marquee.

" 'F-C-U-K,' " she mumbled to herself.

She stared a moment longer, as if something about that just wasn't right, then walked off.

"Click," a tourist snapped a photo from behind a post across from the French Connection store. Giggles followed.

It seemed several people, in fact, were shooting photos and giggling. But they turned out to be visitors shooting pictures of their traveling companions under an archway adorned with a fake peacock.

Most of them didn't give the French Connection store a second glance. This is Las Vegas. We put worse stuff on the back of our taxicabs.

But in other parts of the United States, the 31-year-old FCUK brand is raising eyebrows among the family values set. The 1.8 million members of the Mississippi-based American Family Association have flooded department store chains with requests to remove the FCUK brand, Cox News Service reported last week.

Mississippians never have been noted for their spelling.

But it seems FCUK flames are fueled by advertising campaigns for its new fragrances: FCUK Her and FCUK Him.

A leisurely cruise through Fashion Show mall department stores showed no FCUK fragrances on display at Dillard's, Robinsons-May or Nordstrom.

"May I help you find something today?" a clerk at Nordstrom asked.

"No thanks. I'm just looking," I replied.

OK Smartypants, and how would you have asked her?

Saks Fifth Avenue didn't seem to carry the fragrances either. But strolling on the thick red carpet among the glass cases, it was hard to envision FCUK tucked between Diane Von Furstenburg and Laura Mercier.

Still, in a city where young women shop in pink sweatpants with "Juicy" printed across their buttocks, what's the big deal with FCUK?

One of the French Connection sales people, who was polite, honest and should not be penalized for talking with a middle-aged woman holding a notebook, said a fair number of customers first enter the store out of curiosity.

And a couple of men have been indignant that it was "misspelled," she added. We'll chalk that up to one too many margaritas by the yard.

The clothing line, cut and marketed for a young, no-hip crowd, is more classic than racy. But the T-shirts may take some explaining.

They include "FCUK in Sin City," "FCUK in Las Vegas," "Too Busy to FCUK," "Lucky FCUK," and FCUK spelled out in American Sign Language. And that's just for the girls.

Three women who walked past the store over the weekend did a double-take and burst into giggles.

"How do you say that?" the one holding a beer bottle said.

"No, wait. It really is French Connection. See? It's right there," one of her companions said as she pointed to the other half of the sign.

No worries about complaints in Las Vegas. Locals shop at Target. And members of the American Family Association would probably have a stroke just trying to get past the advertising at the airport.