Someone at JC Penney didn't get the message

[Jon236]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_943423.html

At least they pulled the shirt!

[akoscielski3]

I love the quick poll right below it

-sends a dangerous message to young girls
-Was probably made by young girls who don't earn a fair wage
-Perpetuates the notion that it's better to be pretty than smart
-Has the worst font choice ever
-All of the above

[MagiChau]

nice to see all of the above is in the lead, that font choice is too much to bear. Wonder who came up with the desc. of the shirt regarding Justin Bieber.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by MagiChau

Wonder who came up with the desc. of the shirt regarding Justin Bieber.

Probably the marketing person who thought the shirt would be a good idea.

[Karibou]

I'd love to see a 5th grader who could write that nice. Dang is that cursive pretty! (no pun intended)

[BigJ]

Originally Posted by MagiChau

nice to see all of the above is in the lead, that font choice is too much to bear. Wonder who came up with the desc. of the shirt regarding Justin Bieber.

I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be sarcastic/ironic (see the hipster craze). Whether the target audience would realize this is a different story

[Molten]

Originally Posted by BigJ

I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be sarcastic/ironic (see the hipster craze). Whether the target audience would realize this is a different story

Producing sarcasm is a well-practiced art, identifying it however seems to be a lost one. I completely agree though, my first thoughts on the shirt were typical kid's shirt. Has a quick little one-liner, an interesting art style, and something that will appeal to kids. The truth though, so many things went wrong with execution. I imagine if girls of the age the shirt is for were to judge, plenty of them would like the shirt. The truth is that alot of girls still care more about being pretty and then being smart. They'd see that shirt as almost a motto of their life. In all honesty, which is sadder? The shirt or the fact that some girls would happily wear it? My vote is for the latter.

Jason

Though I could easily make that shirt 20% cooler in 10 seconds flat, my best bet is that JCP has seen the articles and has learned never to send out a bad message to their buyers again, or at least they will when Dean's done with them!

[Taylor]

Originally Posted by SuperNerd256

Though I could easily make that shirt 20% cooler in 10 seconds flat

Denim? and tube skirts?

Originally Posted by Taylor

Denim?

Close enough.

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by SuperNerd256

Though I could easily make that shirt 20% cooler in 10 seconds flat, my best bet is that JCP has seen the articles and has learned never to send out a bad message to their buyers again, or at least they will when Dean's done with them!

There are actually a lot of bad messages still being sent out via t-shirt, mostly in the shirts for younger boys. You know, the ones that list "20 reasons why I didn't do my homework," including a zombie attack and being tortured by their sister's friends. When you look at it, those kind of shirts are usually in good fun, but they still technically send out a bad message.

[JaneYoung]

I saw that this tee had been pulled. The cool thing is that it made the news.

What if they had flipped it and exchanged brother for sister, inserting an adjective for the brother that would be stereotypically fitting and changing the fonts to reflect a more masculine image?

Gotta problem with that? Yup, I do.

There are so many awesome quotes, ideas, images that are just waiting to make an impact in awesome ways.

What's that one - capable of thinking of 6 impossible ideas before breakfast? Something could be added like - and solved them by dinner. Einstein would be proud.

There are so many wonderful ways to project the idea that smart is cool, effective, and makes a powerful impact. In.a.positive.way.

Come on, JCP - you can do it! To quote Andy Baker: Excellence is contagious.

Jane

[gblake]

Sigh

[Taylor]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

What if they had flipped it and exchanged brother for sister, inserting an adjective for the brother that would be stereotypically fitting and changing the fonts to reflect a more masculine image?

Gotta problem with that? Yup, I do.

I have a bigger problem - those shirts already exist. I've seen lots of boys' shirts with masculine reasons not to do homework/study/be intelligent. I've seen the shirts on 20-somethings; I've seen the shirts on boys too young to walk. Where are the news stories on those?

In several instances I know of my friends and family, there was a young boy who was enrolling in grade school. His birthday was close to the cut-line for acceptance; administrators say, "If you hold him back a year, he'll be better at sports." What kind of reflection on our society is? Early elementary educators are more concerned about athletic prowess than a child's eagerness to learn?

[gblake]

Originally Posted by Taylor

...
His birthday was close to the cut-line for acceptance; administrators say, "If you hold him back a year, he'll be better at sports." What kind of reflection on our society is? Early elementary educators are more concerned about athletic prowess than a child's eagerness to learn?

This is not a black and white subject.