This year’s back-to-school line included two girls’ shirts that have created quite a stir — and probably not the kind the local retailer was looking for. One reads: “I’m Too Pretty to Do Homework, So My Brother Has to Do it For Me.” The other reads: “My Best Subjects” and lists Boys, Shopping, Music, Dancing. So yeah, not the message we want to be sending girls–or any young people for that matter. J.C. Penney has said it will cease selling “Too Pretty to Do Homework.”
A statement from the company reads, in part:
“We agree that the ‘Too pretty’ t-shirt does not deliver an appropriate message, and we have immediately discontinued its sale. Our merchandise is intended to appeal to a broad customer base, not to offend them. We would like to apologize for any concern we may have caused and assure you that we are taking action to ensure that we continue to uphold the integrity of our merchandise that [our customers] have come to expect.”
The “Best Subjects” shirt is still available (on sale, actually).
For more on the struggles of J.C. Penney, check out Joseph Guinto’s story in this month’s issue of D CEO.
