Questions for Us

This is a happy entry that’s giving me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

After many, MANY complaints written via email, Facebook etc., Typo issued the following statement:

“Please be advised that we are withdrawing the “porn is our saviour” and various other products from our stores. As an organisation, the Cotton On Group respects family, social and moral values.”

Yes.

So, it appears that when a bunch of articulate women get together and communicate a firm, “No, we’re not having that” – something gets done. (Yes, there were equally outraged men, but women were the predominant voice).

But the key word there is communicate. COMMUNICATE.

Last year, I took my then 8 yr and 4 yr old daughters to the movies. We were early, so we did a bit of window shopping…well I did! *smiling*

When we stopped at the surf shop window, I saw a man’s singlet with the words “Pursuit of Happyness”. The image was of a woman’s body (no head/no identity) in a black dress, holding a champagne flute. Her legs are spread and her dress is up. Behind her is a man with one hand at the base of her breasts and the other between her spread legs – under her underpants. The corker is that you see HIS face – as he’s smoking a cool cigarette, in another superimposed image on the shirt. See the image below.

I was incensed. I started to walk away, because I was scared to say something. What would I achieve?

My stomach was flipping. I walked past two more shops before I turned on my heel and went back. I called over the only female salesperson and asked her why such a deplorable image was in their front window for anyone to see – especially children. Her response was, “Yeah, but we’re not the only ones!”. She was about 30, but sounded like one of my high school kids. I told her I knew that and that was why I was complaining. She agreed with me and gave me their Head Office number. In the following week, I tried calling numerous times, but no one EVER picked up. It was the same as the number on their website, but it was dodgy.

After the movie, I went past the shop and noticed that it had been taken down from the shop window and put with the others on the rack – just inside the front door – where a teenage boy was certainly enjoying looking at it.

OK, so it didn’t change much, but even that small action has to worth something, right?

After all, ONE less t-shirt being bought and worn with an image of an over-sexualised woman or one showing violence against women, is one less walking billboard – because that’s what they are!

If you feel that you want to keep up with issues, such as the Typo incident, or report shops for selling items like the shirt I saw, there are two great groups that I follow on Facebook. One is called ‘Collective Shout’ and the other is ‘Say no to porn t-shirts.’ Check them out – they are always on the lookout and have started and won some great campaigns!!

Question #3: Why are we so afraid to speak up and say something?

Pursuit of Happyness