# Target's at it again - nauseating t-shirt



## paquerette (Oct 16, 2004)

I walked through the girls' clothes section (school-aged sizes, not my DD size) and I saw a HORRIBLE shirt for a little girl! At first glace it looks kinda cute, a castle with a girl's face in the window, and I'm a sucker for castles and stuff. But underneath the picture is says "Waiting for my knight" (wow, couldn't even hold out for a prince?







: ) and hanging in one of the castle windows is a sign that says "Rescue Me"







There was other text on it, but that's the stuff that stuck out. I went to target.com and it doesn't seem to be on there, so I can't show y'all a pic.

But, I dunno... do you think I should have taken the shirt up to customer service and complained? Do you think some assistant manager would have given a crap? Should I write a letter? Should we ALL go to our local Targets and complain if they have the shirt? I mean sheesh, this isn't a radical crunchy thing, to raise daughters with self-esteem, is it?


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## calpurnia (Sep 26, 2004)

COMPLAIN!

I think everyone should write! Wow.


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## Mom4tot (Apr 18, 2003)

BLECH.


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## MotherEden (Dec 18, 2004)

Pffft! In my experience it's more like the knight should be in the window.. I know I know that's just as bad!


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MotherEden*
Pffft! In my experience it's more like the knight should be in the window.. I know I know that's just as bad!

:LOL That's not bad, it's funny. I think it should be like a cartoon, where the back has the princess riding off an the Knights horse and leaving him sitting on a rock alone next to the castle with a caption saying "Thanks for the horse babe, see ya around."


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## CookieMonsterMommy (Oct 15, 2002)

I don't think it's too bad.







: I wouldn't have complianed...

It's basically a shirt that illustrates what happens in fairy tales (this one sounds like maybe rapunzle--sp?--). Knight in shining armor, all that....

Nah, it's not the best shirt, and I probably wouldn't buy if (if i had a dd) but, um...I dunno, maybe it's just me and I should zip it.

Kelly


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## CookieMonsterMommy (Oct 15, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *artgoddess*
I think it should be like a cartoon, where the back has the princess riding off an the Knights horse and leaving him sitting on a rock alone next to the castle with a caption saying "Thanks for the horse babe, see ya around."

That would be awsome!


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## paquerette (Oct 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CookieMonsterMommy*
It's basically a shirt that illustrates what happens in fairy tales (this one sounds like maybe rapunzle--sp?--). Knight in shining armor, all that....

Yeah, but I'm not crazy about what happens in fairy tales, either.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *CookieMonsterMommy*
Nah, it's not the best shirt, and I probably wouldn't buy if (if i had a dd) but, um...I dunno, maybe it's just me and I should zip it.

You're entitled to an opinion just like the rest of us. Not gonna bash you.







But I will explain further... it's not that it should never happen that there are stories where maidens are rescued by knights or whatever, but it shouldn't be the ONLY way stories ever happen. And when that's the only thing girls are exposed to, or mostly the only thing so they see that as "the norm" and anything else as a deviation, it makes it more likely that they'll grow up and wait for their knight to rescue them. Does that make sense?

I've been reading the book Growing A Girl (awesome book, btw) and it talks about how cultural influences can subvert things that you try to teach your kids, especially the whole Disney princess type of thing.


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## TexasSuz (Mar 4, 2002)

It's not just Target, but most stores these days. I have a 7 year old niece and most of the clothes in stores for her are so inappropriate! They are sexy, short, have rude comments on them, or reinforce sexist stereotypes! Mervyns is the worst for this type of clothes and they used to be owned by Target.

Athough, there are some people around my area that seem to take pride in dressing little girls like adults or making them look like made-up princesses!

Makes me so sick!!!!!


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## atomicmama (Aug 21, 2004)

It's not a great message to send our little girls. However, my dd loves all the fairytale *crap*...so, it's my job as her mom to let her know that it is _just_ a fairytale. that's my .02 cents


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## darsmama (Jul 23, 2004)

I saw a push up bra and thong made for a SIX YEAR OLD at Wal-mart like, last week. DH and I could not believe it.


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## Mom4tot (Apr 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *darsmama*
I saw a push up bra and thong made for a SIX YEAR OLD at Wal-mart like, last week. DH and I could not believe it.


That's disgusting. I'd love to see Mr. Walmart carted off to jail one day....for the complete moral destruction of mankind.

Is that a little strong?


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## CookieMonsterMommy (Oct 15, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *paquerette*
... it's not that it should never happen that there are stories where maidens are rescued by knights or whatever, but it shouldn't be the ONLY way stories ever happen. And when that's the only thing girls are exposed to, or mostly the only thing so they see that as "the norm" and anything else as a deviation, it makes it more likely that they'll grow up and wait for their knight to rescue them. Does that make sense?


Totally, 100% makes sense.







BUT, like you said, it has it's place, and I have no problems reading these stories to my son (though he's more of a jack in the beanstalk, elves and the shoemaker type of kid







), and as atomic said, it's my job as a mom to make sure he knows these are just fairy tails. Also, it's my job to give him plenty of alternatives to those fairy tales!

Same thing with the princess ALWAYS being white and often having blond hair, etc. I often tell stories (we make up our own bedtime stories most of the time) where the HERO is a female named Shantal and the person being rescued is Miguel. Something like that.

If you expose your kids to an generally equal mix of perspectives, then having them see, buy or wear a shirt that illustrates ONE perspective, to me, isn't that big a deal. (Though again, the other shirt would be AWSOME! and I'd have a major issue with target if they refused to carry this one if it existed)

It's the "mainstream" mom who lets her daughter watch all the Disney Princess videos and offers no alternative ways of looking at life who buys her daughter these clothes, and the same type who would have looked at you like you had a thingy on your forehead had you complained.







: (_what I'm trying to say is that generally, the people who are most affected by this kind of thing are the people who care least_)

Kelly


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## Corvus (Feb 13, 2003)

I don't think you should complain to the store manager; I honestly don't think they'd care or could do anything about it if they did care.

You should write to corporate headquarters.

I think such clothing is disgusting. Once my daughter got into clothes larger than 18-24 month size, it became more and more difficult to find appropriate clothing for her. The shorts for girls are tight and short. Pants and shorts are mostly low-rise and have pictures or words on the butt. The shirts are TIGHT and revealing and often have inappropriate words on them. Even when I can find plain t-shirts in the girls' department, they are tighter than the same-size same-t-shirt from the boys' department. I end up buying mostly boys' clothing for her, and since she has short hair, people usually think she's a boy. I don't really care if they think so, but I wouldn't mind putting her in more "girly" colors once in a while. (Not pink, I hate pink. I just mean purple, yellow, springy green, etc.)


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

yuck. I don't really have a HUGE problem with it, but yuck.

Wait, soon "rescue me" will be written across the butt.


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## UnschoolnMa (Jun 14, 2004)

I can see the lame stereotype in the shirt, and that kinda sucks, but it really wouldn't get to me. I'd share my thoughts with my kids that I think we should have some shirts/stories etc where girls are doing something (like the rescuing perhaps lol) as opposed to just waiting for someone to save us while we look pretty. Beyond that, for me it's just a shirt.

As far as clothes go my kids have pretty much always chose thier own. (Well, as infants I chose them because they were infants lol) Dd has some shorts that say "PRINCESS" across the booty and I think they are just silly and cute. She also has a shirt that says "Try Something Twisted!" and I think that rocks too. Ds has a shirt that says "If I throw a stick will you leave?" etc. It's all just in good fun for us.

Slightly OT but here are some stories that feature girls as active, doing something people in the story rather than just waiting in the castle for the prince/knight/pretty man on a horse.

Don't bet on the prince: Contemporary feminist fairy tales in North America and England
by Jack David Zipes

The Serpent Slayer : and Other Stories of Strong Women
by Katrin Tchana, Trina Schart Hyman

Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls
by Jane Yolen


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *darsmama*
I saw a push up bra and thong made for a SIX YEAR OLD at Wal-mart like, last week. DH and I could not believe it.









I was trying to buy DD some tanks for pjs this summer and they all (she is a size 6 girls btw, NOT juniors, NOT womens) had "built in bras"







Uhhh, I want this to be loose and comfy and SHE DOES NOT NEED A BRA. She weighs *almost* 43 lbs for craps sake.


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## Moss's Mommy (Mar 28, 2002)

I didn't look... but do you have any boys? Everything is war stuff and weapons of mass destruction. I hate it. Calgon take me away.
P.S> I think the shirt you describe is just wrong. Why are we doing this to our children?


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## Elowyn (Nov 3, 2003)

Ick Ick double Ick. Where's that Hanna Andersson website again?









Seriously - do our kids need *more* gender biasing stereotypes?


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## umefey (Sep 10, 2004)

Ugh...

No one _really_ buys thongs and bras for their 6yo do they? That is soooo absurd and revolting. I just can't even comprehend someone buying that for their child.


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## coopnwhitsmommy (Jan 13, 2005)

People buy sequined panties for their pre teen why not a thong for their 6yr old?







:









as for the t-shirt....I suppose it could have been worse "waiting for the first guy who shows interest in me"

One more bonus to having sons


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## Moss's Mommy (Mar 28, 2002)

sure, if you want them to wear, play with goods that display the dominant male ideology.


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

Along this subject line I got my Fmail Creations catalog today. In it they have a wall plaque that reads:

Cinderella goes to the ball....and takes it to the net!

Hope some of you mamas of girls can use the idea to decorrate their rooms.


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## Ellien C (Aug 19, 2004)

I have a new perspective on fairy tales since reading The woman with the Alabaster Jar. Her premise is that our society has completely lost any connection with the divine feminine. she thinks mary magdalene was the bride of Christ and bore him a daughter. And she thinks some people knew this (Knights Templar, for example) but were totally persecuted. I know it's far fetched and lacking evidence - but - she also thinks the Tarot and many fairy tales are folk art designed to remember the principles of the divine feminine - kind of an underground. Now that's interesting. She points out that the prince is always searching for the lost princess because HE is incomplete - he is wrong without her. Now that's kind of interesting. Not that a person is incomplete with a member of the opposite sex, but that our society has become too violent - GROSS extremes of masculinity. We are missing the divine feminine - which is perhaps, right here, but sleeping. Down with the Patriarchy! Wake up women - take back what's ours.

anyway - I've been really down on fairy tales, but I plan to talk about them in that light.


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## Mom4tot (Apr 18, 2003)

Very interesting Ellien


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## 3girlsmommy (Jun 19, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *umefey*
Ugh...

No one _really_ buys thongs and bras for their 6yo do they? That is soooo absurd and revolting. I just can't even comprehend someone buying that for their child.

I had to chime in on this one. I would imagine my sil would, so yes some do. My sil bought her dd, her step dd and my dd these little TINY string bikini's. The bottoms were the kind you can tie on the side to make the "reveal" more and the top was two tiny little triangles attached to a string. YUCK! Mind you she was 3 at the time and my neices were 6. YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!

I have to add that my sil would make fun of one dd because she didn't have anything to fill the top and the other one because she did.







Yeah she's a class act!


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## atomicmama (Aug 21, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *artgoddess*
Along this subject line I got my Fmail Creations catalog today. In it they have a wall plaque that reads:

Cinderella goes to the ball....and takes it to the net!

Hope some of you mamas of girls can use the idea to decorrate their rooms.


I love that!!


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## Cranberry (Mar 18, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *artgoddess*
Along this subject line I got my Fmail Creations catalog today. In it they have a wall plaque that reads:

Cinderella goes to the ball....and takes it to the net!

Hope some of you mamas of girls can use the idea to decorrate their rooms.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

Yuck!


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## Irishmommy (Nov 19, 2001)

I don't like the shirt, but I wouldn't complain to the manager.

I'm going to check out those books mentioned though.


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## Maeve (Feb 21, 2004)

I have The Serpent Slayer book and my girls love it.









My dd's are 7 and 2 1/2 yrs. Buy clothes for my oldest always seems to be difficult. There is no way I'm dressing her up like a mini-Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. Thank goodness I hate the mall, too. We had to stop there a couple weeks ago for something (then got out as quickly as possible!) but we happened to walk by the Limited Too (I think it's called?). It was so disgusting! I couldn't believe the crap they had as "kids" clothes! Ugh!!! Most of the stuff looked like street walker clothes. There is no way I would EVER go shopping for my child in there.

What happened to letting girls be little girls for awhile??? Why do we have to turn our children into mini-adults? Why can't they keep some innocence for a LITTLE while???
Is it because some women are so desperate to prove they are still young and cool, that they want to act more like their dd's friends than their mother? Don't get me wrong, I hope my dd's and I remain friends as they get older and hit the teenage years and beyong, but I am first and foremost their mother, which means (among many other things) not letting them dress like tramps and teaching them self respect and love.

Ok, rant over. Terribly sorry.


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## cortsmommy (Jul 6, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ellien C*
I have a new perspective on fairy tales since reading The woman with the Alabaster Jar. Her premise is that our society has completely lost any connection with the divine feminine. she thinks mary magdalene was the bride of Christ and bore him a daughter. And she thinks some people knew this (Knights Templar, for example) but were totally persecuted. I know it's far fetched and lacking evidence - but - she also thinks the Tarot and many fairy tales are folk art designed to remember the principles of the divine feminine - kind of an underground. Now that's interesting. She points out that the prince is always searching for the lost princess because HE is incomplete - he is wrong without her. Now that's kind of interesting. Not that a person is incomplete with a member of the opposite sex, but that our society has become too violent - GROSS extremes of masculinity. We are missing the divine feminine - which is perhaps, right here, but sleeping. Down with the Patriarchy! Wake up women - take back what's ours.

anyway - I've been really down on fairy tales, but I plan to talk about them in that light.

I totally agree with that! Those principles drive my spirituality. I did not know there was a book about it though! Rock on! I'll have to buy that.


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## paquerette (Oct 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cortsmommy*
I totally agree with that! Those principles drive my spirituality. I did not know there was a book about it though! Rock on! I'll have to buy that.

Have you read Holy Blood, Holy Grail? I haven't so I can't say for sure, but I believe it also deals with this.

Are you gnostic? I've been reading bits and pieces about it. I guess you could say I have a scholarly interest in it - I'm pretty much agnostic, myself.


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## eksmom (Jun 29, 2004)

Last year about this time, I was in Babies R Us and saw short shorts that laced up both sides in size 12 months. You know - the kind that laces up the sides and you can see skin through the lacing? For infants. In diapers.

The sexualization of children is one of my biggest soapboxes.


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## KnitterMama (Mar 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *darsmama*
I saw a push up bra and thong made for a SIX YEAR OLD at Wal-mart like, last week. DH and I could not believe it.











That's it. I'm moving to a tiny log cabin in the woods with no electricity and I'm gonna sit on my porch with my dog and my kids (they'll be plural by then :LOL)and throw rocks at any Western culture that comes by.


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## Cranberry (Mar 18, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *darsmama*
I saw a push up bra and thong made for a SIX YEAR OLD at Wal-mart like, last week. DH and I could not believe it.

Yeah, but Walmart won't sell cd's with explicit lyrics because _that's offensive_.


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## UnschoolnMa (Jun 14, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *coopnwhitsmommy*
People buy sequined panties for their pre teen why not a thong for their 6yr old?







:









Why would sequined panties for a preteen be bad? I think Ive missed something somewhere...


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## Terpatude (Nov 19, 2004)

I rarely buy clothes at Target, and DD was there last week with me and saw a similar shirt. She is 11 and she looked at it and said something to the effect that the girl on the shirt needed to get a life..In her next breath she siad; "THAT will be the day I sit around waiting for a man to rescue me. I'll be too busy flying my plane or training horses" ..I guess we are doing something right...I have always had a hard time finding clothes appropriate for her at Target..I do not allow her to wear anything from the " Little Miss Hoochie Momma "line or the "Skanks R Us" line, so that pretyy much eliminates 95% of their clothing...


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## mama2silas (Oct 22, 2003)

I got my niece this t-shirt: http://littlelefties.com/Merchant2/m...roduct_Count=0

She ABSOLUTELY loved it and wore it the next day to school.

Little Lefties has lots of cute t-shirts, and they were super fast in delivery.


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## UnschoolnMa (Jun 14, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mama2silas*
I got my niece this t-shirt: http://littlelefties.com/Merchant2/m...roduct_Count=0

She ABSOLUTELY loved it and wore it the next day to school.

Little Lefties has lots of cute t-shirts, and they were super fast in delivery.


I totally dig the "Question Authority" tee


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## cortsmommy (Jul 6, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *paquerette*
Have you read Holy Blood, Holy Grail? I haven't so I can't say for sure, but I believe it also deals with this.

Are you gnostic? I've been reading bits and pieces about it. I guess you could say I have a scholarly interest in it - I'm pretty much agnostic, myself.









I have not read that, but I have read the Davinci Code, does that count? :LOL

I'm pagan now, but I was raised a baptist and then I was agnostic. When I say those principles drive my spirituality I mean the divine feminine (goddess) energy + the divine male (god) energy. Its not just one or the other, but both.

Okay I'll shut up now before I get the thread moved. :LOL


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## Meiri (Aug 31, 2002)

This kind of thing is why I started reading DD stories from Tatterhood awhile back.


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## a-sorta-fairytale (Mar 29, 2005)

On another list we had issue with a preggo shirt (oddly made in teen sizes only) that said "an epidural is in my future"
So we all emailed Target about the ofending shirt and info and stats on the risks of epidural. The shirt was yanked form the site. I guess there was enogh complaints!


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## kathipaul (Sep 24, 2004)

I was at Target last week looking for pajamas for my 2 year old. I found they have negligees with flimsy robes, for size 4T and up! I consider myself fairly liberal but that I found in very bad taste. Size 4T girls don't need to be soooo sexualized. Anyway, I will still shop there but that kind of stuff is tacky. What amazes me is that some people will buy that kind of stuff!


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