Over this shirt, tweets have been flying. Now, that is obviously not something I am teaching my daughter, but I have to admit I am the one that giggled when I saw the shirt. I must have a sick sense of humor, but just because I giggled over it, doesn’t mean I am saying it’s okay to use your looks to get out of anything or move forward.
I simply saw it as a snarky shirt kinda like the one I got my daughter that has headphones and the cord spells out “Not Listening”. I am obviously not teaching my child to not listen. Or the shirt I got my son, I am by NO MEANS saying these things are okay but I did get a giggle out of the shirt I got him. Here is a picture of it:
It’s called snarkiness and a lot of the people that are all up in arms are snarky about things (obviously not this). Am I the only one that thinks this is making something out of nothing. I mean I am teaching my kids responsibility and to work hard for what they want, use their brains and I giggled at the shirt. I absolutely didn’t think it was meant to be taken seriously.
My daughter is told all the time she is the prettiest in the world but it doesn’t let her get away with anything. She is taught she has to earn what she wants and her responsibilities are hers no one elses. Same thing goes for my sons. I guess my sense of humor is just a little different and didn’t read more into it than just something that was meant to cause a laugh. I’m obviously the odd one out and that’s strange because usually I am the one on the side outraged LOL. Wonder if the outrage will make a difference and they will pull the shirt, time will tell.
I hope people can remain mature and not attack those who have different views on this if you choose to comment or tweet. Who knew a shirt could cause so much controversy? Now I am off to do some much needed house stuff, but when my daughter gets home I shall sit with her while SHE does her homework. She’s pretty AND does her own homework…who would of thought!
Toni Patton
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I have to agree with you – we are all responsible for how we react to things and to be outraged by what is ultimately just a jokey shirt is to CHOOSE outrage. Our daughters will learn that beauty means they don’t have to work IF and ONLY IF they point to such a t-shirt, assert that because they’re pretty they don’t have to work and WE ALLOW IT. This shirt reminds me of “I’m With Stupid”. Do we demand that the shirt be stricken from stores because the person standing next to the wearer will have irreparable ego damage? Or do we realize it’s a joke, snicker at it, and have understand that it’s how we interact with our children, how we discipline them, how we teach them and how God shapes them that brings about their character.
I challenge people to consider whether they really believe a t-shirt would cause such damage in the psyche of their children…and if people do believe that, perhaps there’s a much greater issue than a cartoonish sentence on the front of a shirt at play.
Oh my the points you make are good Sarah! And I completely agree with them.
I am always amazed people have not got something more important to do than to get outraged over something like a shirt. COME ON WORLD? PEOPLE ARE DYING AND GOING TO HELL… SHOULDN’T WE PUT OUR FOCUS ON SPREADING THE GOSPEL?
Just a thought,
Kat
LOL I agree, outrage over a shirt is just silly to me
100% agree with you! where is people’s sense of humor?
Lost it seems
I’ve come to the conclusion that the world has lost it’s common sense. Either that or people have entirely too much time on their hands and have to bicker and argue about every little thing that comes across the boards and screens. Oh, and people also want to take the blame for their own failures away from themselves and turn it to other things… thus the outrage over the shirt… the shirt is what is going to make the girl dumb, not the lack of parental intervention while she was growing up. We live in a society of blamelessness. Everyone or something else is always to blame for our short comings. It time we own up and take control of our own lives and see a joke for what it is… a joke.
My daughter will succeed and not by her looks kwim, it’s because I am parenting her INSTEAD of blaming fashion for forming her identity. If a child is geared to act the way this shirt says it’s absolutely not because of the shirt 🙂
I understand where you’re coming from but at the same time I see why people are so upset. If this shirt had been made 50 years ago and said “I’m too pretty to do homework so my black maid has to do it for me.” I don’t think you would have found it as humorous. Or at least I hope not.
The point is, encouraging racism or sexism or any other kind of ism is wrong, especially when marketed towards children who can’t always tell the difference between snark and seriousness. Ultimately it’s up to parents to teach their children what ideas are right and wrong and standing up to sexist ideas can send the message that some jokes just aren’t that funny.
I completely understand the point you made. Thanks for sharing your views!
We live in a world right now that makes it harder and harder for girls to want to succeed. Snooki is getting more air time than the First Lady, and there’s a pervasive culture of sexuality that children are getting sucked into far before they should.
As a mother of two girls, I find it something I have to battle every day. I have to work so so hard to make sure they know that the messages in the media are not always right. I have to explain away t-shirts that say things like “future golddigger.” Soon, I will have to explain why song lyrics refer to women as bitches and hos.
After that, I will have to explain why it’s not okay to perform sexual acts on a boy just so he will like you. Because that’s the kind of thing girls do, when they believe their only value is how attractive they are.
So is a stupid little t-shirt (promoting everything I find deplorable) the end of the world? Of course not. But it’s symptomatic of a larger problem that only stops when we stand up and say something. And if giant retailers can become part of the solution, promoting more positive messages for girls, our job as moms becomes a whole lot easier. And I think, the world becomes a better place.
We should never stop fighting for the things we believe it. Even if the things you believe in are different than mine.
Thank you so much for sharing your views I sincerely appreciate the conversation even if we view the shirt differently. I teach my daughter’s the same lessons even though I did get a laugh out of the shirt. I think you do make excellent points! Again thank you for sharing!
People have lost their senses of humor. Tara and I laugh about stuff like that all the time. I bought her two shirts last week that are subtly funny in a snarky kind of way!
People take themselves WAY too seriously, and as Denise said people have WAY too much time on their hands!
I agree, I guess it boils down to sense of humor. Some seem to think this is taking it too far but I as a mother of a girl, could laugh at the snark behind it. I don’t teach my daughter that lesson and I am quite sure she will always know that is not how we achieve anything in life even if I did laugh at the shirt 🙂 Thanks for joining in the conversation
I have to say, I really disagree with you.
First, I think the shirt is actually sort of dangerous. I wonder what it would do to a girl, mentally and emotionally, to walk around all day wearing a sign (which is basically what this is) saying, “I’m too pretty to do my homework.” More importantly (and twice as scary), what about the people who interact with this girl? What message is it sending to the young boys she jokes and laughs with at school. In what subtle ways will they take her less seriously when she has something serious to say, and how will she take these subtle clues to heart?
Second, I don’t find it funny. When I look at it as objectively as possible (which, granted, might be a fool’s errand), I just … fail to see the humor in this. What does being pretty have to do with the ability to do one’s homework? The dots don’t connect for me, and the joke falls completely flat.
I should probably confess that I make my living as a Diversity & Inclusion practitioner. I basically go to work each day and try to remove barriers for women, people of color, and other folks (non-Christians, military veterans, gays and lesbians, people with disabilities) who find it difficult to get ahead at work. In America today, there are scores of women who want to get ahead and have the education, ability, and work ethic to do it. The main things holding them back are an “old boys’ network” carefully guarding the glass ceiling and a belief that, perhaps, women are “too pretty to run a company.” This shirt didn’t cause this scenario, but it certainly isn’t part of the solution, either.
I can absolutely understand the points you have made even if we differ on opinion of the shirt. Thank you for sharing your opinion and joining in the conversation. Just out of curiosity how do you feel about the shirts that say “I’m With Stupid” with the arrow, or any shirt with snark that insinuates something like I’m better than you because I am a boy. I assume you are opposed to that in general based on your feelings toward this shirt but would love to hear more of your thoughts so I don’t assume wrong. Thanks again for sharing your views.
I have nothing against snark in general; when the joke lands and I find it funny. “I’m With Stupid” only points to male superiority when a boy or man wears it and then makes sure he’s standing to the left of a girl or woman at all times throughout the day! Once, I saw a couple (a heterosexual couple) wearing “I’m with Stupid” and “Stupid’s With Me” with the arrows pointing to each other, and I thought it was kind of hysterical. I’m the proud owner of a t-shirt that says “NFSW,” an acronym that most non-bloggy types don’t understand. I like the inside joke nature of the shirt as well as the joke behind it (I obviously don’t wear this shirt to work).
So funny t-shirts are totally cool. It’s the ones that make the girls who wear them feel less smart (and goad those around her to treat her like she’s not as smart as she is) that push my buttons, I guess.
Again thanks sharing. I can see your points even if we have different views on how it will affect one (or ones around them)
I don’t think the shirt should be banned, but I would never buy it for my daughter. I have a perfectly functional sense of humor, but I would feel like everyone who saw my kid walking around in something like that would be thinking “how sad that her parents have given up on her like that.” I would absolutely never allow it to be worn at school. We rarely talk about my daughter’s looks, although when we do we’re always complimentary. However, every day we compliment her art, or her schoolwork, or her ability to make a witty comeback. I don’t even know that she would find this shirt amusing. Even worse than the “too pretty to do homework” is the “my brother has to do it for me” bit. I think the idea of having a boy do her homework for her would be an outrage, lol. And really, beyond the message this sends our daughters, what does it say to our sons? If the shirt said “I’m too tough to do dishes, so my sister has to do them for me,” would it still be funny, or can only females get away with degrading the opposite sex now?
Great points Lori 🙂
I see both sides! You make a good point! But, its hard being pretty and smart – you’re expected to be one or another! Although, you’re so right – it IS just a shirt! There are certainly bigger fish to fry!