Consumer power

It is good to read stories where the consumer has won and this is an example.  It show that if you do complain about something you don't like, it may make a differences.  Kmart (Australia) has been forced to remove a line of girls underwear as it outraged some parents and I am sure you will agree.  

Not only would you not want your daughters to wear them, I doubt you would want your daughters (or sons) walking past them (as they were on display in the childrens clothing section) and wondering what they all mean and asking you questions.  Knowing the sorts of questions my sons would ask when younger, there are bound to be children, who, if they saw these undies would stop and read the words on the underpants.

Note: I have included a photo of the underwear at the bottom of this post.

This is from the local newspaper (link): 

The retail chain Kmart has been forced to withdraw a line of underwear for young girls that carries slogans such as "call me" and "I ♥ rich boys" after the store was accused of sexualising teenagers. Kmart has confirmed that it will remove the underwear, which is part of its popular Girl Xpress range, after it was the target of a Twitter campaign led by outraged parents, who described the slogans as "disgusting" and "sleazy".

A spokeswoman for Kmart told Fairfax Media that it had received one complaint about the underwear. "Due to the fact that it has been brought to our attention that there may be some concerns with the item, we have decided to remove it from our stores," the spokeswoman said. She said Girl Xpress was aimed at the "female youth market" but did not define what age that market was.

The federal MP for Moreton, Graham Perrett, hit out at the retail giant for stocking the underwear after being sent photos of some of the pieces in the range.  "It sickens me," he said. "It makes me cry to see that sort of stuff out there in our stores. It sends the wrong message entirely."

 

 

Sometimes it is worth reading the comments from other readers, many also felt that KMart had gone too far and were glad to see them removed from shelves, however some mothers saw nothing wrong with them: "Oh what a big fuss over nothing, what a society of curtain-twitching finger waving nannies we are becoming. I bought my 12 year old daughter a couple of pairs of these because they're cheeky and funny and she's old enough to appreciate that sense of flirtatious irony behind them."

~oOo~