On dumb tee shirts: Smart girls do their own homework
As a parent, I think I have just about had it up to my neck with attitude tees for girls. Sassy sayings on shirts are popular at all sorts of clothing stores, from trendy boutiques to the most long-standing department stores.
Now J.C. Penney has stepped in it.
The old-school retailer really put its proverbial foot in it, offering a tee shirt for girls (sizes 7-16) that reads:
"I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me."
The ad copy for the tee (available only online) said this:
"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.”
In short order, parents were up in arms over the sarcastically stereotypical shirt. And J. C. Penney’s pulled the item from the fall fashion lineup online.
How do you feel about J.C. Penney’s “Too Pretty” tee?
Do you think the shirt is inappropriate for young girls? Does it dumb down feminine smarts?
On the plus side, paying just $9.99 for a long-sleeved tee shirt (discounted from an apparent retail price of $16.99) might be a savvy deal.
But would a self-respecting young lady go out in public with a top that even jokingly says her brother does her homework? Gee, what girl might even trust her brother to do her homework? In some homes, that might be something akin to letting the dog eat it.
OK, I am blessed with smart brothers. I have three of them. In certain subjects, I might even trust them to help me with a homework assignment, if I were still in school. Chances are, they’d ask me for assistance on research papers or writing assignments.
But this play-it-dumb tee shirt, claiming a girl might be too pretty to do homework, seems to suit no one to a tee.
OK, I must confess. Just last week, I took my teen to J.C. Penney's and dropped a small bundle on back-to-school fashions. It seemed a smart deal at the time, as they offered a $10 discount across-the-board for a $25 purchase. But we skipped the attitude tees!
Had I seen the "Too Pretty" top on the store's website, we might have gone straight to Kohl's, just on principle.
Sometimes the shoe really is on the other foot.
Remember what Grampa used to say? “Pretty is as pretty does.” Didn’t everyone’s grandfather say that?
Isn't it time for smart girls to stand up and show off their God-given brains?
School is in session, and pretty girls with intelligence to boot are fashionable everywhere. What could be more beautiful than excellence?
Image/s:
“Too Pretty” tee shirt – fair use photo
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