Too pretty to do homework

lazygal

http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?GrpTyp=SIZ&ItemID=1c9c22f&DeptID=77892&CatID=77894&SO=0&Ne=5+29+3+1031+8+586+18+949&x5view=1&NOffset=0&shopperType=G&N=4294939995&Nao=63&PSO=0&CmCatId=77892|77894


From JC Penney. I think this is so annoying, just reinforces that girls don't need to bother with anything intelligent because a man will do it for them. Also, what parent/guardian would buy this for a small child?

baby and crumble

lazygal wrote: »

http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?GrpTyp=SIZ&ItemID=1c9c22f&DeptID=77892&CatID=77894&SO=0&Ne=5+29+3+1031+8+586+18+949&x5view=1&NOffset=0&shopperType=G&N=4294939995&Nao=63&PSO=0&CmCatId=77892|77894


From JC Penney. I think this is so annoying, just reinforces that girls don't need to bother with anything intelligent because a man will do it for them. Also, what parent/guardian would buy this for a small child?

Who has time for homework when there's a new Justin Bieber album out? She'll love this tee that's just as cute and sassy as she is.

I don't normally get irate about stuff like that, but honestly! Cute and Sassy? Seriously????!!!????

As for your question about who would buy this for their child- the same kind of parent who buys their 7 year old a bra. When I hear about stuff like this it always reminds me of the family guy clip (not great quality but it's the only one I could find)-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxBLpGQs1qQ

Sonics2k

I personally find t-shirt like that one quite harmless, it's more of a joke/cutesy thing really.

I do take offence to the somewhat more "adult" clothes made for children.

Acoshla

I would have worn that t shirt in college and would have thought it was pretty funny, but making and buying it for a kid that young is a bit weird.

g'em

Sonics2k wrote: »

I personally find t-shirt like that one quite harmless, it's more of a joke/cutesy thing really.

I used to feel the same way, I mean it's just a t-shirt, what harm? But I don't know, when you realise just how much young girls are bombarded with stereotype imagery and the like as their growing up something as seemingly harmless as this just comes across as needlessly adding to the hassle. It could be worn as an ironic statement if a woman was so inclined, but I don't see many 7-10 yo's leaning towards irony in their daily fashion choices

Ickle Magoo

Do parents seriously buy their kids stuff like that? Is it the same parents that buy their 5 yr olds bra sets, thongs and joggers with sexy across the backside? The mind boggles... :eek:

If it was just the "Too pretty to do homework" I'd have much less of an issue with it that I do with it also having "so my brother has to do it for me"...

Teddy_Picker

Urgh, that's fairly lame alright, who wants their little kid to be "cute and sassy?" I know it's fairly tame compared to the "Porn Star" or the B.I.T.C.H acronym tees I've seen, but still, I don't personally think the whole "little princess" fad is cute.

Anyway, this prompted me to look up alternatives, and presto, thank God for Geek Girl tees!

These ones are particular faves!





And this baby tee is just dotey!

"Who has time for homework when there's a new Justin Bieber album out?"


Hahaha. If I listened to Justin Bieber at that age (or..ever) my Dad would disown me.

Acoshla

Teddy Picker where did you find them t shirts??

pickarooney

I can't say I understand the implication of a child being too pretty to do homework. It would make some sort of sense with "I'm too smart/busy/manipulative to do homework" maybe.

gargleblaster

Not to put down anyone's sense of humor - if they a little girl or the person buying the garment for her thinks it's funny then whatever - but I (and probably not coincidentally my girls as well) find the shirt too embarrassing to wear, even as an ironic statement. It's just pitiful.

drunkymonkey

I'm sorry for this now but i keep laughing at the appropriate username! Good point though!

iguana

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

If it was just the "Too pretty to do homework" I'd have much less of an issue with it that I do with it also having "so my brother has to do it for me"...

I was wondering about that. Does it mean her brother is so awed by her prettiness that he's compelled to do the homework for her? That's an "interesting" message to be putting out there.:eek:

Logical Fallacy

iguana wrote: »

I was wondering about that. Does it mean her brother is so awed by her prettiness that he's compelled to do the homework for her? That's an "interesting" message to be putting out there.:eek:

It's means boys are dumbasses and should do the things that girls don't want to do.

It's like a less violent version of the "Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them" thing that was doing the rounds and caused such huge debate at the time.

Now, personally i find myself quite fortunate because i tend to think if i am coming down on a different side to an argument to Rush Limbaugh that i am heading in the right direction. Rush didn't like the t-shirts, he decided they were offensive.

I'm not sure why because he never said, he simply blurted out a few weird sound bytes and ran the gamut of logical fallacies to try imply that there would be a socially acceptable uproar if you brought out a t-shirt that said "girls are evil and will break your heart, throw rocks at them"...and he had a bit of a point...maybe.

Right thinking people cited precedent, in this case The People Vs "Slugs and Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails" and thought that, well, this kind of thing has happened before and despite these messages from early age that boys are disgusting and made of gross things that people still met, still fell in love and still ensured the survival of the species.

There was no upsurge in violent crime in the form of girls throwing rocks at boys and it was largely conceded that there wouldn't be.

As such, it's just a t-shirt...I am pretty confident it won't result in countless young girls forgoing their education and recruiting poor susceptible boys to do their Venn Diagrams for them.

Is it a **** t-shirt? Yes. Is it a **** message? Sure.

Will it have any major impact at all? Not really.

Morag

http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/08/31/7539556-im-too-pretty-to-do-homework-so-my-brother-has-to-do-it-for-me

UPDATE: Well, that was quick. JC Penney is apologizing and pulling the shirt from shelves. The retailer issued this statement:

"jcpenney is committed to being America's destination for great style and great value for the whole family. We agree that the “Too pretty” t-shirt does not deliver an appropriate message, and we have immediately discontinued its sale. Our merchandise is intended to appeal to a broad customer base, not to offend them. We would like to apologize to our customers and are taking action to ensure that we continue to uphold the integrity of our merchandise that they have come to expect."

Alopex

definitely would not let my daughter wear this. horrific message to send out.

Logical Fallacy

We agree that the “Too pretty” t-shirt does not deliver an appropriate message

It's time like this I wish i was a journalist. I normally take issue with apologies, be they philandering politicians or drunk driving celebs.

I would simply like to ask JC Penny which of the following realities best covers their position.

1) They did in fact feel the message was appropriate...or else they wouldn't have stocked the item in the first place...so why back track in the face of public opinion.

2) You don't actually care or think about message all that much and just like making money, so why pretend otherwise?

More silly buggers tbh.

WindSock

I'm gonna try grab some of these banned t-shirts and make a mint online!

Sonics2k

T-shirts like that are harmless.

Don't want your kids wearing it, then don't buy it.

Honestly it's just people over-reacting to a harmless "joke" in the belief it's a sexist or derogatory statement designed to make it seem as if women can simply get by on their looks.
Yes it's a dumb t-shirt, but the over-reaction to it is even more dumb.

(Obviously my own opinion, don't want to make sweeping statements etc)

gargleblaster

Sonics2k wrote: »

Yes it's a dumb t-shirt, but the over-reaction to it is even more dumb.

I used to agree with this, then I started getting the impression that the movie Idiocracy was a little too realistic for my liking. Now I find these kinds of reactions reassuring and encouraging. Anti-intellectualism in particular just really burns my cookies, so I can't get mad at anyone who boycotts anything encouraging it.

Sonics2k

gargleblaster wrote: »

I used to agree with this, then I started getting the impression that the movie Idiocracy was a little too realistic for my liking. Now I find these kinds of reactions reassuring and encouraging. Anti-intellectualism in particular just really burns my cookies, so I can't get mad at anyone who boycotts anything encouraging it.

I find it harmless because it is in itself just a few words on a t-shirt, it looks pretty, has a lot of colours and a lot of kids would like to wear it for just that reason.

My own daughter has a few "similar" t-shirts, and even a few Princess dresses because she simply loves Disney (despite my best attempts :pac:).
She pays no real attention to the words printed on her clothes, except the word "Pretty" or similar.

I teach and raise my child to think for herself, and although I constantly say how pretty she is, I also tell her how intelligent she is (and not to brag, but she is insanely intelligent for her age).

How a child grows and develops isn't just based on what is written on their clothing, or how media and advertising blasts them imagery, but -mainly- by how we as Parents raise them, teach them and show them the world.

I'm honestly tired of seeing parents blame advertising, movies, games, music and other nonsense for how their children act, behave and their attitudes to life, because when it boils down to it, children learn from their parents and families.
If you allow a child to grow up thinking "I'm pretty so I don't have to work" well than that is truly the parents fault, and not the fault of some damn t-shirt.

(Sorry for the rant, it's not directly aimed at you Gargleblaster.)

gargleblaster

Sonics2k wrote: »

How a child grows and develops isn't just based on what is written on their clothing, or how media and advertising blasts them imagery, but -mainly- by how we as Parents raise them, teach them and show them the world.

I'm honestly tired of seeing parents blame advertising, movies, games, music and other nonsense for how their children act, behave and their attitudes to life, because when it boils down to it, children learn from their parents and families.

If you allow a child to grow up thinking "I'm pretty so I don't have to work" well than that is truly the parents fault, and not the fault of some damn t-shirt.

(Sorry for the rant, it's not directly aimed at you Gargleblaster.)

Don't apologize for that, I completely agree! That's why I said my daughters would also find this shirt too embarrassing to be funny - I raised them to value intelligence and to scoff at anyone who would try to coast by on their looks.

That said, I still loathe anti-intellectualism with the fiery passion of a billion suns, and will support any and all efforts to stomp it out. :pac:

Pythia

It's probably based on the David and Goliath tshirt which says 'I'm too pretty to do math'.



I always found it funny in an ironic way as I love maths and work as an actuary now..

rainshowers82

I Do believe that Children learn from their parents and generally feel that people over react to things... if you do not like the slogan don't buy the T- Shirt ...... But on the flip side i would not like my daughter / niece / god daughter to wear something like this because honestly they are worth more ..... I also wouldn't like my son/nephew/godson wearing it so its not a gender thing .... just a self worth thing :rolleyes:

shinny

That link is now saying "We are sorry, but this product is not available at this time" - anyone got a pic of it?

Teddy_Picker

rainshowers82 wrote: »

I Do believe that Children learn from their parents and generally feel that people over react to things... if you do not like the slogan don't buy the T- Shirt ...... But on the flip side i would not like my daughter / niece / god daughter to wear something like this because honestly they are worth more ..... I also wouldn't like my son/nephew/godson wearing it so its not a gender thing .... just a self worth thing :rolleyes:

Absolutely bang on the money, rainshowers. Why anyone would want to broadcast this kind of message is completely beyond me.

@ Sonics2k If you allow a child to grow up thinking "I'm pretty so I don't have to work" well than that is truly the parents fault, and not the fault of some damn t-shirt.

I agree with your point on the media etc, far too much is made of the influence it has on children and ultimately it is up to the parents to parent their child and show them the correct path in life, but don't you think that a parent who would buy such a thing for their child is, consciously or unconsciously, giving approval to what the slogan promotes, as Gargleblaster says, anti-intellectualism? This is hardly something to aspire to!

Sonics2k

Teddy_Picker wrote: »

I agree with your point on the media etc, far too much is made of the influence it has on children and ultimately it is up to the parents to parent their child and show them the correct path in life, but don't you think that a parent who would buy such a thing for their child is, consciously or unconsciously, giving approval to what the slogan promotes, as Gargleblaster says, anti-intellectualism?

Certainly such things can contribute to anti-intellectualism, but I truly believe it takes more than silly clothes to make people grow up thinking "I'm pretty so I don't have to work" or similar.

Current society is complete proof of it, only a handful of decades ago women were expected to stay at home, never go to college, get an education, get married, raise kids and the men were expected to get a job, get married etc etc.

But that's changed over time, through so many influences, from our parents, from society and the world growing in so many ways, but getting closer together than it's ever been.

People are capable of unbelievable growth, and it honestly saddens me that as a society we resort to blaming everything but ourselves for how our children view the world if they end up "bad".

(Gosh I'm in a ranty mood )

Morag

shinny wrote: »

That link is now saying "We are sorry, but this product is not available at this time" - anyone got a pic of it?

gargleblaster

Sonics2k wrote: »

Certainly such things can contribute to anti-intellectualism, but I truly believe it takes more than silly clothes to make people grow up thinking "I'm pretty so I don't have to work" or similar.

Current society is complete proof of it, only a handful of decades ago women were expected to stay at home, never go to college, get an education, get married, raise kids and the men were expected to get a job, get married etc etc.

But that's changed over time, through so many influences, from our parents, from society and the world growing in so many ways, but getting closer together than it's ever been.

People are capable of unbelievable growth, and it honestly saddens me that as a society we resort to blaming everything but ourselves for how our children view the world if they end up "bad".

(Gosh I'm in a ranty mood )

I think you're mixing up issues here. I don't think any of the parents who complained were claiming that the shirt would cause their children to not do homework. It's not the same situation as when someone tries to claim that video games or movies make children violent.

It's just a refutation of the idea behind the slogan. Women's looks are constantly harped on as being of paramount importance, and their intelligence constantly ranked beneath it. For example, female politicians or other intellectuals are so often sexualized or insulted using insults about sexuality.

I think this incident is just an example of how more and more people are getting fed up with it.