We’re too smart to buy your T-Shirt… J.C. Penney

That's what J. C. Penney should put on their new T-Shirt design. Females all across this great land, stood up and said (and tweeted), "We're too smart to buy your T-Shirt"… okay I'm paraphrasing, but you get the drift. The shirt that I'm referring to actually said, "I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me". Penneys' has pulled the shirt, by the way — smart move.

With all the negative publicity they were getting, that's no surprise though. With tweets like…

  • Dear here's an idea for young women's t-shirt: "Beauty fades. Stupid is forever. Do your homework & read a book."
  • Dear , please remove this unbelievably sexist item, you're spreading shockingly outdated gender stereotype", from @Katlelase
  • Dear you and your complete line of sexist shirts for little girls is disgusting.

As a former employee of J. C. Penney, I am very disappointed. As a woman, I am VERY disappointed.  Then I thought, okay, we're all human, people make mistakes… BUT then, I see this:

Oh, J.C. Penney. Shame on you!

I don't have daughters, but I have nieces and friends with daughters. And, I am a woman. So let me get this straight — the message you are telling our girls is, uhm, "Don't worry if you're stupid, as long as you are pretty", and "The only subjects we're good at are, boys, shopping, music, and dancing". WOW! We girls are so stupid, and uneducated, that, well… we probably can't even read what the T-Shirt says. So we'll be so enamored by the pretty colors that we'll buy it.

Give me a break! 

I joined Ms. Magazine this morning in signing their petition at change.org to "Tell J.C. Penney to stop selling sexist t-shirts to girls!" If you are a mother (or father), or a daugher (or a son), or a women just tired of the sexism… join me in signing the petition. Let's send a message to J.C. Penney and all companies, for that matter, that we are not standing for this kind of sexist behavior.

I know not everyone will agree with me. I'm certain many women won't agree. You'll say, "Lighten up Donna!" You're entitled to your opinion. This is mine.