Irritated Youth Voice Their Annoyance; JCPenney Pulls Provocative Garb

Agape Press ^ | 12/23/03 | Allie Martin and Jody Brown

[truthandlife]

One of the nation's largest department stores has listened to thousands of teenagers and is pulling a line of sexually-suggestive clothing.

Recently T-shirts with crude and suggestive messages targeting teenagers were offered at JCPenney's stores nationwide. Among the selections were a printed shirt for the fictional "McLay's Plumbing Service" which had "Winki" proclaiming: "No pipe too big or small. We clean your pipes 24/7." Another for "Wanda’s E-ZZZ Slide" promises, "Hot wax for a deeper, richer shine and wet looking curves." Others read, "Had a great time last night, whoever he was," and "You don't know me, but your girlfriend does."

Soon after the shirts hit the shelves, OneMillionYouth.com -- an Internet activist campaign spearheaded by the American Family Association -- alerted Christian teens and encouraged them to contact store officials. The website now quotes JCPenney senior public relations manager Tim Lyons as saying the company is reviewing all "attitude" shirts marketed to teens, and has introduced policies "to more closely monitor the T-shirt designs" the retailer chooses to purchase.

Randy Sharp AFA's director of special projects says the shirts are being pulled from store shelves because of the public outcry.

"Some of the shirts were pulled; some of them still remain, but they're on their way out," says Randy Sharp. "JCPenney has confirmed to us that they will not carry them in the future, and they've instituted policies to make sure that these types of incidents [or] shirts do not appear on their store floors in the future."

Sharp says there are many teenagers in America who want to live God-honoring lives and are willing to stand up for Christian principles. "We've got a good group of kids in America who want more modesty in clothing," the pro-family activist explains. Those young people, he says, are approaching companies like JCPenney, stating they are offended by product lines and requesting clothing that is more modest in appearance and more in line with youth who want to remain pure until marriage.

Sharp says "sending the message of free sex and free love to teenagers is certainly the wrong message," but "JCPenney now understands that and [is] taking appropriate steps to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Another national clothing retailer reacted in similar fashion recently to consumers who voiced their displeasure over the company's sexually-oriented marketing tactics aimed at America's youth. Abercrombie & Fitch, long targeted by pro-family groups and angry parents for its sexually explicit quarterly catalogues, announced earlier this month it was ceasing publication of the pornographic "magalog." A statement from A&F indicated the company "believes it is time for new thinking." (See Related Story)

[AxelPaulsenJr]

I'm only 15, but I'm gonna' wear this.

Since you're 41, if you look at me, you're a pervert.

Hey no problem. Just stay out of my way.

[Hildy]

Michelle Malkin wrote a great piece about this. Here's ane excerpt from it:

What if the T-shirt had the phrase "PUBLIK SKOOLED" printed on it, with a silhouette of a ghetto public-housing complex emblazoned underneath? No doubt J.C. Penney would have balked at such a blatantly contemptuous image. The National Education Association and minority civil rights brigade would have made a federal discrimination case out of it.

But of course, no such T-shirt dissing the failed public school monopoly is sold on tees.com or at J.C. Penney. Why not? Because when it comes to bigoted insults in our politically correct culture, some institutions and groups get a pass. Despite criminally low test scores, enormous waste, unsafe classrooms, and administrative incompetence, the public schools remain a hallowed and untouchable fixture. The snickering snobs of the education establishment smear those who seek to protect their children from this corrupted system as ignorant and intolerant anti-government radicals.

[Skooz]

Yep.

[bc2]

Hey CJ, the proper functions of government are to "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity".

I really don't think the founding fathers meant for the US Government to establish a strict moral code of conduct upon citizens outside of initiating force or fraud against people or their property.

I for one am glad that the market solved this problem naturally instead of through government force.

[oh8eleven]

I wish men like J.C. Penney, George Eastman (Kodak),Chester Carlson (Xerox), et al, could come back
to see what these modern day, million dollar, CEOs have done to their companies.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Retailer J.C. Penney was hit by consumer wrath after airing a TV ad showing a mother encouraging her young daughter to dress provocatively. The back-to-school spot, called "Attitude Adjustment," shows the girl trying on hip-hugging jeans. "You're not going to school dressed like that, are you?" Mom demands. She

The MOM??? not the GIRL???

then yanks the jeans lower on her daughter's bare midriff. Ouch! Parents complained the spot had way too much attitude. J.C. Penney pulled it within 4 days.

Words fail me.

[Protagoras]

The government has a responsibility to enforce the laws. But it does much more than that. It sets a moral standard, based on the knowledge that some practices have evil consequences.

What a load of BS that statement is. Your moral standard is defined by Bill nad Hillary and a group of criminals in the US congress and George Ryan of Illinios? No wonder things are so screwed up.

[ClearCase_guy]

Why get fancy? Just make shirts that say "Worthless Piece of Trash" and have done with it.

[Hildy]

SPEAKING OF T-SHIRTS - Have any of you seen this great one:

SAVING YOUR ASS
Like it or Not

[IYAS9YAS]

Hey, no problem. Been there. I've been known to commit an error two in my adult (read "a dolt") life.

[solitas]

Since you're 15 and dressed-up like the dog's dinner:
I'm gonna stand by and laugh like hell when someone nails you.

[jackibutterfly]

WHEN is Penney's going to learn - they've been through this before. Dummies! Or they're still trying to pull a fast one. Remind me to NEVER shop there again.