Tainted T's Part 2

After being so enraged about these disgusting t-shirts for toddlers, I sent an email to corporate. Here is the message I sent: I was horrified to walk into your store to see baby shirts that express messages such as "My mom is a hottie" and "my mom is hotter than your mom". This is beyond inappropriate! It is depraved to have baby clothes that express sexual attraction to ones own mother. Both of those words are used to descibe someone who is sexy, attractive, and meets all society's physical expectations, does it not? I always thought of your company as one that promotes, health, well-being, and values. I see no value or morality in selling this trash! Please remove this merchandise from your stores!

Upon returning from my family get together, there was a message on the machine from the store manager. I called him back this morning. He wanted to let me know that the shirts with these particular sayings had been moved to the back of the rack, where customers would have to search through the shirts to find these. Hardly satisfactory! He stated that his customers had seen these shirts in other stores and requested he get them in his store. I asked him what it meant when a person was referred to as "hot" or a "hottie". He replied that it meant someone was "attractive or cute". Yea-try again! I told Mr. Manager that it meant someone was sexually attractive and by making a baby wear this shirt, it implied that the baby was sexually attracted to it own mother. I told him that he knew very well that it did not mean someone was "cute"! I asked him if he would buy these shirts for his kids-he does not have kids. Nieces and nephews? Long, Long pause. He claimed he had bought several for his nieces and nephews, but after such a long, long pause and stuttering out that he had, I doubt this to be true. He also stated that he really didn't have the authority to remove them from the store. I told him that I suspected as much and that was the resaon I had taken it up with "coporate". I asked him how he felt working for a company that would pass the buck of responsibility on to the store managers. Ouch! Was that too much? I didn't give him time to answer. I just wanted him to ponder that. I was polite to the man, but I didn't want to be!

Ok-here's the thing: remember how I said my friend worked at the store? Well, the day that I was in the store complaining about these shirts, my friend told the manager about my concerns. When the manager siad he didn't see anything offensive, my friend asked if he would dress his own kids in those shirts. (See, I influenced my friend, made him really think, and he passed it on!) The manager then started asking all the employees what they thought it meant. My friend told my husband that there were several complaints emailed to corporate about the shirts. WOW! That gives me hope!

It gives me hope to know that even though we may not get the resolution we are looking for, people will still voice their opinions. I don't think we should complain about every little thing, but every time we settle for a product not worth the money, bad customer service, or smut being marketed towards or for our kids, we send a message that we will take all the crap they can heap on.

Get your opinion out there! Have your say! Power to the people!

Tainted T's

Today I walked into a popular drugstore chain only to find, much to my disgust, totally offensive tiny t-shirts that I spotted a few weeks ago are still there. T-shirts that sport sayings such as "My mom is hot!" and "My mom is hotter than your mom!" and "Chicks dig me!". What kind of moron would put this saying on a child? Did I mention the sizes start at 12 months??!!!! I voiced my opinion to my friend that works at the store and told him they have to go! The cashier told me they are selling like hotcakes and asked me what I found so offensive about them. I cringed when she admitted she thought they were "cute". I grappled not to fall into a bezerkoid, irrational rant, and clamly, but passionately explained my position. Here it is: I can NOT believe anyone would buy this shirt and put it on a child too young to express his/her own opinions. Moral decay, lack of respect for others, and a complete void of values is infecting, festering, and spreading in our country. Furthermore, I would NEVER want my child to think of his/her mother as "hot" or a "hottie". That is totally beyond inappropriate! It is horrifying! Yes, I know that a baby is not going to develop these thoughts that the shirt reflects before it grows out of it, but if a moronic, unintelligent, bottomfeeder would put this kind of smut on their baby, what kind of trashy messages will they allow when the child is older? Undoubtably, the parents of this child will teach it to think in this way. The boys in this family will be taught to objectify and disrespect women, starting with their mother, and the girls will be taught to become objects for men. The boys will believe it is acceptable to judge a woman by her looks. The girls will be oppressed, forced into owning everything pink, dressed like Paris Hilton and slutty Bratz dolls, told they are only as good as they look, and that pandering to men will get them far. It is deplorable! Depraved! When will it stop? *sigh* I imagine it probablly won't. I just can't believe that someone would dress a baby in a shirt that expresses sexual attraction, (according to societal standards), to that baby's own mother! Disgusting!