Ok Folks! Time to Be Grown-ups!! Parents and Children's Clothing...

08.26.03 | mlmr

[mlmr]

Every few days or so on FreeRepublic, those of us who follow the Common Culture and its focus on sexuality start complaining about the clothing in the local stores that is available to children. Mothers and fathers here complain about the trashy, sexualized clothing that little girls are sold. They complain that there are no others choices.

Well, I don't know about you folks but I COMPLAIN. To management. Each time I cannot find modest, decent clothes. It takes at most, five minutes. Each time I shop. And I expect I will get results. For each person who complains...mangement extrapolates that there are dozens of customers who do not say anything and feel the same way.

I want to encourage all parents to find the manager and complain about the things sold for children in the stores, especially the chains, that you don't like. Inappropriate and sexualized items. Emails help too.

Bsck a few years ago, when I was complaining about the movie choices for children at my local theatre, I was pulled aside by the manager and told that many parents were complaining and the chain was trying to find decent movies for children. I notice that there has been a broader selection of childrens films recently. I think there is untapped power in complaining to the right people.

When you complain, do it kindly and politely. Tell them what you do not like and what you are expecting to buy instead. Following it up with an email drives the point home. IF you want to change the culture...if you want to take it back...you need to open your mouths and ask for what you want.

For this is really for the children, and our culture, and our future.

[mlmr]

You bet good taste and manners count. And only the children who have them are going to get someplace in life.

[sphinx]

My daughter could care LESS about style. She likes bright colors

Ours favors stripes: striped shirts, striped pants, striped socks, even striped underwear, brightest colors possible, the more it clashes the better.

She's five. She thinks dressing herself is important. We're keeping pictures.

[mlmr]

The storty concluded witha sound bite from a giggling teen-ager who had a problem with the T-shirt, saying that students only wanted to show off a bit of belly, to show off their cute bods. Sigh.


This is a symptom of a wider problem, young teens who think that they are a commodity.

[mlmr]

I agree, but I also think that it is important to let people know what people think of their merchandise.

[mlmr]

Advise others of a like mind that informing management of clothing stores as to your desires (something most stores pay tons of money for) deems you a clothing policeman and busybody. Weird stuff.


I guess I am a Clotheing Cop....teehee!!

[mlmr]

Courtesy, Politeness, and Kindness are still powerful weapons that that can only credibly be attributed to conservatives


Absolutely! We can, when we make our voices heard, make a cultural difference.

[mlmr]

Nonsense, it's open for comment. This is a discussion forum concerning news and people's opinions on it. The culture war is big news on this forum in case you haven't noticed. If you don't want to answer the question,, don't. Actually, I was expecting you to say you didn't let your children dress like that, but what the hell, if you want to get your nose out of joint about it, go ahead.


This is the beauty of FR...we can talk about these issues and we can make a difference. And tell others what you are planning to do....

[mlmr]

Don't turn up your noses, kid clothes can be found gently worn and even with store tags. They'd like to wear more dresses but with PE everyday it's only jeans/shorts and shirts so that's easy. Clothes are easy but it's shoes that I have a hard time with. Big and clunky does not make for easy playtime and spiked heels are for standing on street corners which I tell Pay Less that each and every time I'm in there to no avail.

I put my kids into Keds for play shoes until they were 11

[MEGoody]

"It's like turning the channel on TV stations you don't to watch."

Not quite the same. If there's absolutely nothing on TV, you can just shut it off and do something else. Everyone must wear clothing, and if you can't find anything but 'sexualized' clothes for a little girl, there's not much you can do (unless you happen to be able to sew).

I don't have any little children, so I don't know how bad this problem may have I gotten. I'm basing my comments on my own efforts to find a pair of comfortable dress shoes for women. Neigh on impossible when the style is extremely pointed toes and lots of platforms.

[5by5]

Sears is now installing Lands End shops in their stores via a joint marketing deal. Not cheap but good quality.

[tiamat]

Oh Dude.

I do NOT have that kind of clout! LOL!

Tia

[tiamat]

sphinx wrote:

Ours favors stripes: striped shirts, striped pants, striped socks, even striped underwear, brightest colors possible, the more it clashes the better. She's five. She thinks dressing herself is important. We're keeping pictures.

*************************************

Oh DO !

Makes such good black-mail material later!

Tia

[Protagoras]

This is the beauty of FR...we can talk about these issues and we can make a difference

Uhhh, not exactly. The mod squad broke up a tiny squabble earlier and deleted a bunch of posts, so I guess we can't talk about these issues totally.

[King Prout]

FRee-association fugue commences
no clout to make it stop...
it being an inundation of vile images washing into my vulnerable mind...
breach... a gap in a barrier...
clout is power... clout is also "cloth"
clothes and tacky fashion...

you mean you don't own a breachclout?

*running like a fiend*

[tiamat]

Nope!

Clout also means : "to clobber" ........

;-)

Tia

[King Prout]

hoc scio. ergo: *running like a fiend*

[Melas]

Don't kid yourself. Money talks. If the clothes are flying off the rack and the registers are going Ka-Ching, all the bitching and moaning in the world is going to amount to jack.

[mlmr]

I disagree. If people complain, then there are sales not being made.

[Melas]

If you disagreed, then you didn't understand. I'll repeat it. If the clothing is moving well, then complaints aren't going to get you anywhere. If you think for a moment a manager is going to listen to even hundreds of thousands of complaints if the merchandise is selling well, then you need to take those business classes over again.

Now, if the merchandize is moving poorly, AND there are complaints, then perhaps you'll see action more quickly than if it were poor sales alone. I'll give you that.

Likewise, all the kudos and attaboys for selling modest attire mean diddly squat if the registers aren't going ka-ching. This is exactly as it should be. When enough parents vote with their pocketbooks, and sexy attire sits on the shelves, then more modest clothing will appear overnight.

[splach78]

Certainly it is. But that information does not get very far when relayed to the manager of a store. When we tell our district manager about complaints, she tells us to tell them to call her so she can get the appropriate information corporate needs, not just the complaint.