Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Planes, Trains and Pink Nail Polish?

Last quarter, I watched a documentary series of transgendered children. The issue became of such interest to me that I blogged about it and your fellow students debated whether or not they thought it was appropriate to raise a child as another gender. You can read through my blog and their comments here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2011/02/when-harry-became-hailey.html


So, a few weeks ago when I saw a J.Crew advertisement getting tons of negative feedback, I knew it would be great follow up on this topic. The advertisement sparking the controversy shows J.Crew designer Jenna Lyon’s painting her young son’s toenails neon pink. While many people saw absolutely no problem with it, others started complaining immediately. You can check out a Today Show video showing the advertisement and people’s comments here:  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/#42569002 According to the Media Research Center the ad is “blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children”. The Culture and Media Institute stated, “One has to wonder what young boys in pink nail polish have to do with selling women’s clothing”.

That really got me thinking. I myself have stated that I would not want to raise my children with the traditional concepts of gender roles. My nursery won’t be pink or blue, my daughter can take out the trash and my son can help with the laundry. That being said, I did wonder, “What does painting your son’s toes pink have to do with selling women’s clothing?” So my question to you this week is two-fold. First, “What do you think of a mom painting her son’s toes pink? Do you think it is important to raise your kids according to society’s traditional gender roles so as not to confuse children?” Second, you are all design students who will need to market your work. So tell me, “Why do you think J.Crew used this photograph to market their clothing?” Answers are due no later than Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011. You must answer both questions and designate your class to earn full credit.

36 comments:

  1. Kia Davenport,
    Thursday Morning

    I don't disagree with the mother painting her sons nails in any circumstance, all children are going to want different things. Growing up I didn't play with barbies, I played with action figures with my brothers, I wore basketball shorts instead of skirts, and I never played with the girls at recess. What if my mother had prevented all of those things? Would I be the adult I am now? To say this is wrong is like saying girls with short hair and guys with long hair are wrong. The child is not at an age to identify himself anyways, let imagination wonder. I think it is important to allow your child to be who they are, no matter what that is. By denying them that right, you're denying them honesty. You're teaching them who they HAVE to be due to the "standards".
    Art, or design, is used to catch peoples attention. It is used to create emotion, whatever that shall be. I think they wanted to spark that. And as a company it shows acceptance, their acceptance for change, difference, and their respect to those that just simply get it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think that The image of the boy with pink toenail polish is a way to brand the certain product that they are selling to women. Yeah it has nothing to do with women, but you still remember it right? It's like those Iconic magazine covers you see on magazines. What does Lady Gaga have anything to do with what ever magazine she was on and why was she wearing meat?

    Also As for raising my child, I am a very nontraditional person. So I will raise my child in nontraditional ways. I believe that gender shouldn't be a deciding factor of what a person should do, or not do.

    Cuong.
    kiareri.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jake kawaguchi
    Tues AM

    The negative feedback was a blatant statement that despite all the festivals and parades society allows large vocal groups of Americans hate people who are different. Not just don't understand or are uneasy with, but hate. Even if they add was a celebration of transgender children, if that is wrong then the alternative is exile, which is clearly what these people want. Those who have brought forth complaints don't have to sign up for the J-Crew newsletter.

    I felt John Stewart summed it up best in an episode of The Daily Show a little while after this came out when he stated, "have you ever had to spend a weekend with children?" Kids are boring and you'll do anything to entertain yourself. I missed the part in the add where that boys mom put him in a dress and paraded him through town. Or the pictures of the kid kisses another boy. Oh wait, they weren't there.

    Does the color pink really make someone transgender right away? Have we devolved as a society so much that simply colors can bring on so much anger? Or maybe it's colorful toes that spark this outrage? Imaging what these people must think about male ducks, or poor peacocks, being all bright and colorful they must be the mascots of trangender people right? I could rant for hours as this has clearly touched a nerve, but the fact is this response is socially acceptable hatred.

    As for the marketing aspect, I"m fairly certain that it was simply an attempt to have to customer connect the the head of the company. "Oh look at how much she cares about family, spending so much time with her child." If you like a bigwig in a company you'll like the company more, no matter what you're selling.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gabrielle Banks
    Thurs AM

    I personally wouldn't paint my son's toes pink, but I also wouldn't shun my son if he wanted to do so. Everyone has different taste when it comes to fashion. I feel this is a way to market to woman as well as men, straight or gay.

    As for raising my child when I have one, I will definitely give them freedom to explore and understand who they are as a person. Like the girl above mentioned, I also played sports heavily as a kid but also had a Barbie collection. I loved to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but also enjoyed I Love Lucy. Who is to say that some of these activities are for males and others for females?

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a "Good" One, problem where is the father ,I have two sons and ,I would ask what kind of a parent or you ,to do this to a child. I think its just not pointing your child into the direction he or she needs to be .its just pink nail polish but to some its a statement maybe the mom hate's his dad ,so thats why she's doing it ,or she hate men ,Or she wants to appreciate the fact she has power.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rachel Leigh
    Thurs AM

    I believe we live in a society where masculinity and femininity are not understood and celebrated the way they should be. But being a man or a woman has everything to do with what you bring to the world and how you interact with it. I would like to think that outward appearance is not much of a factor.

    If this little boy's family is so strong that he can be raised in a free, artistic, exploratory manner without his masculinity ever being undermined, then I think that's great. Since his mother is a fashion designer (and a good one), I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case. I would EXPECT the son of a designer to be naturally more open to experimenting with things like pink toenail-painting.

    But the reality is that society makes assumptions about sexual orientation based on appearances. At home, ignorant judgments might be suspended, but if this boy goes outside and his peers see his toenails, it is extremely likely that one of them will call his masculinity into question. I think that would be a painful and confusing experience for any child.

    I don't pretend to know J. Crew's motivation behind this ad. I hope they are simply trying to say "we are a fun and innocently off-beat company," but they are naive if they think people won't pick up transgender overtones, currently such a divisive issue. It was a risky move for them, but it raises a lot of good questions.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This topic is hard for me to give a true answer. Being a mother of a 3 year old girl and a 9 month old boy its hard for me to answer. Part of thinks its wrong but than i also think we need to let our kids show their true side. He's only 5 years old we all had worried things we had at that ago. Every parent wants the best for their kids and wants them to be happy. The only thing that really stands out to me is the public and the words they have say or would say to my kid. Just like a lot of parents I don't want my kids to go though that. Than there is the way we look at young boys and girls. The little girl is suppost to play with dolls, draw flowers and play play dress-up and the little boys play ball, G.I. Joe's and get dirty. My little brother would dress up in a dress when he was younger and he is 19 now and not gay.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I might sound traditional but I think that picture irrelevant what does that picture suppost to mean. When a child is not sure o his or her own sexuality there is somethinkg wrong! a little boy should not dress like a girl that is not okay. the parent is causing confusion on the child. I have all sisters and i have one cousin that is a boy who was always with me. When we were children i would ask him if he wants to play barbies and he alway said NO because he was sure of his sexuality! as a person who goes shopping atleast 10 times a week this advertisment is not appeling to me I dont like it and i dont think it is okay! i dont have children so i really can only see from the outside but i do know when i have a boy he will not wear dress or pink nail polish!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Tuesday Morning

    I think the only reason why i don't mind the advertisement with the boy with pink toenails is because there has been so much controversy throughout the years that it's starting to be the norm. We have so many topics that are put out there for people to argue their opinion and that's exactly what J.Crew has done. Growing up i was a huge tomboy. I hated (and still do) the color pink and refused to wear skirts or dresses. My parents weren't too happy about it but they embraced it and agreed to let me wear whatever i wanted. I think a lot of that will come into play with how i raise my child in the future. I don't like cliche colors such as pink for a girl, blue for a boy. I stand by the sayings it's good to be different and personally I'm not the type of person to do something because everyone else is doing it, so why should i do that when it comes to raising my child? Colors and clothing aren't the way kids see sexuality or learn the differences between a girl and a boy so there shouldn't be any certain way a child is taught about his or her gender.

    As far as advertising the picture for a J.Crew ad, I think they just marketed the photo to be controversial. When that happens during commercials or marketing campaigns, it sticks with people no matter what. Whether it's a good or bad memory, the company is still being talked about which is the whole idea.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, J. Crew has definitely raised an interesting (and polemical) point with its ad.

    I think that parents, even unconsciously, raise and educate their kids according not only to their own beliefs, but also several traditional patterns, like girls love princesses and boys prefer sports and super heros. Actually, I do not see a major problem in that; however, parents may not tolerate if their kids present tastes and attitudes that do not correspond to their expectations, resulting in frustration and anxiety for both sides.

    I believe that parents should not censor or discriminate their children based on this type of behavior. They are just kids, and they will certainly try different things and express themselves in different ways during childhood, and these are the experiences that will build their personalities and preferences.

    About the ad, I think the main idea was definitely to call its target market attention using a funny and unusual approach. J. Crew is mostly known for its clothes, but it also sells accessories and cosmetics - and I would say it is almost impossible not to notice a little boy with bright pink nail polish on his toes (well, we cannot say they are not having fun).

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tiffany Needler
    Thrusday Morning class.

    I have feel that if a mother wants to paint her son's toe pink than that is fine. That is not my son. I feel that as a little child their main job is to explore there world, and their mother is in their immediated world so they want to do what mom does. At that age I feel like there is nothing wrong with painting his nails, however there is a line that at the age of 4 or 5 should not be crossed. I feel that at the age of 4 or 5 that is when you should teach children that you are a boy and that is a girl. It is importent for that lession because one day they will not be 4 or 5 years old they will be 17 or 18 years old and they need to understand how to treat each other. I think that J. Crew used this ad because it was focused to those who shop J. Crew, and that would be women and most womens jobs are that of being mothers. To put that ad out there shows that not only can you be a mom but you can be a mom that has her own style, and J. Crew understands that.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Rachael Stone
    Tuesday Morning

    I don't see a Mother painting her sons toenails pink to be a big deal, people should be able to express themselves in whatever way they want, age is irrelevent when it comes to self expression in my opinion. I don't think that kids should be limited because of a traditional idea of what kids should be brought up thinking such as pink being a girls color.

    I think they used this image for an ad because it catches your attention an makes you think, which is important for an ad. It being a contriversial I think will intrigue the audience. To be honest I don't understand how this has anything to do with being a womens clothes advertisement but I do think it is a powerful advirtisment.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sarah Green TuesdaY MORNING CLASS

    I feel that a mother should not paint her son toenail or do anything that is related to a female role, because that not how it should be. starting your child to do feminity things can lead to bigger issues such as dressing up and wanting to become a female,which will turn our boys feminist instead of becoming muscular like he should be when he grows up. But I also feel that if we teach our childern at an early age of becoming the opposite of it nature than society would change because the it wouldn't be natural for boy to be girls and girl to be boys. God create us to be who we are, but i think its the parent who compromise on what their child wants, which the child don't know what he or she wants because they need to be taught right from wrong and by doing so they need to be taught what natural and to be who you are and not something that is false.

    The advertisement I thought was eye catching because it not normal for a boy to get his toenails painted,but i do believe that j crew did it to get exposure and feed back from people. But I feel if they wanted to gain exposure they should have did it the right way and still get attention.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Cristiano Mattos
    Thursday morning classes

    It's clearly that Mom and son are just playing and having fun on that ad. I don't think that a pink polish nail will confuse the boy about his sexual identification. I look at that ad the same way I would look another ad where there is a Dad playing with his daughter who is wearing construction worker shoes. The controversial factor about this ad is because it shows a scene considered taboo in our society, the scene of a man painting his nails.

    I believe J.Crew used this photograph to market their clothing because it shows family values, a scene of a Mom and son having fun together and bounding. J.Crew in some way is showing the figure of a woman who chose to have fun with her child without worrying about the society roles. It shows an independent woman figure. Independent woman figures sell products to other women who identify with her.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Janelle Birkey
    Tuesday Morning

    I do not believe painting a son's toenails is wrong. My mom used to paint her brother's toenails and he happens to be a very "manly" man. As of using it for an ad, I still see nothing wrong. They definitely grab the audiences attention and no one will forget it. She was also showing that time is changing and so is fashion. She was merely selling nail polish. I think it was a wonderful design idea.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bethany Hackman.
    Tuesday Morning.

    Go mom! I see nothing wrong with this. I think it's cute, honestly. A boy likes the color pink and the mom is helpin' him out. So, my response to the first question would be a hell no. I don't think it's important to raise your kids according to 'society's gender roles'. Let the kids play and let them be happy with who they are on the inside. Why would you want to take that away from your kid? You won't be the bad guy for letting your son wear a dress or whatever. You'll be the bad guy when you yell at your kid for doing something that feels natural to them and that makes THEM happy. Like, I said. Why take away happiness?
    As for the ad, I can't think of how this photograph will help their sales. But, likes others have said, you'll remember that image. You will remember it was J.Crew.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tori Spelling takes her son and daughter to get pedicures for good hygiene reasons. Since her daughter gets her toe nails painted, her son asked if he could too...Tori felt that it was unfair to tell her son no and even though he got his toe nails painted, one foot was red and one foot was blue to represent Spider-man.

    We live in a free country full of creativity and self expression...Marketing is part of self expression and creativity. The day that our country starts putting limits on creativity and self expression is the day that our country becomes chained down.

    There is no one person in this world that is allowed to dictate children and tell them to be masculine or feminine. Children have to have their imagination, imagination is what brings out the genius in people. J.crew might have be genius by putting an ad up like this, because it caught everyone attention. It was creative and different; times are changing and becoming different...

    Letting your children make their own decisions early in life will help them in the future to decide things with a mature mind.

    I believe that God has a plan for everyone, whether your son or daughter turns out to be gay or lesbian is his/her choice...We are not suppose to judge, degrade someone for being indifferent or turn our head to those in need.

    Everyone will have to answer to God someday, and when that day comes he will decide which of us walk through the gates and which of us don't. Its not our decision to decide how everyone lives their life.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Maggie Doran
    Tuesday Morning

    This was a really interesting story to me. It doesn't surprise me that people were in shock and awe over the advertisement and it doesn't surprise me that some people were probably mad. However, it doesn't bother me one bit. There are plenty of little boys out there that play with barbies and plenty of little girls that play with toy cars. That doesn't make them transgendered or homosexual. And even if they were, I still don't care. As far as the ad goes, maybe the little boy picked pink out, and if he did, more power to him.

    I don't know why JCrew would use this picture as an advertisement for clothes. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but they definitely turned some heads. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if the advertisement actually worked and got more people to shop there. It kinda makes me want to take a trip to the Edinburgh Outlets!

    ReplyDelete
  19. i don't think there is a problem with painting a young boy's toenails pink if he wants to. as an artist, i don't like it when colors are branded as a boy or girl since every color has its place. as for the actual conflict however, i dont see why there is a problem in the first place. and as former posts state, people just cant get over the fact that not everyone is like them. there is also the generational gap; the newer generations really dont care whereas older ones do. finally, though the actual picture has nothing to do with clothing, it is probably an advertisment that is meant to shock people and turn heads. get attention. it certainly worked.

    as for raising my own child as another gender, due to what i've heard, i would try and not force them into a certain role. i would let them choose. i've heard several stories about transgender children who have committed suicide because they found out how they had been raised diffrently from what they were born.

    ReplyDelete
  20. James Thomas
    Tuesday Morning

    I think that painting your son's nails pink makes many people uneasy. I see it as possibly confusing the child as to the role a man is supposed to play in life. The common role that has been set for a man throughout human history is to be strong and a provider. How can a man be taken seriously as a man if he dresses like a woman? The nails could be a step in the wrong social direction for the child. However, it is just nail polish and there is not too much wrong with that. Dressing boys up like girls is just creepy no matter how you look at it. I'd rather not see it, but if it does not influence the child's choice to be gay or straight I see no problem. Bottom line I am on the fence on whether or not I agree with it or not. That's the way they choose to raise their kids, I for one will not let my son where a dress or paint his nails. That is not what a MAN does.
    I think J.Crew used that because it says that their company's products are so good that boys could wear it. LOL just kidding. It may be because of the newly blurring of the gender line. More boys, for some odd reason, want to dress like girls. We have Tomboys why not Nancygirls. Tomboys still like boys for the most part when they grow up maybe these Nancygirls will still like girls and use J.Crew's products too:)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Justin Mog
    Tuesday Morning

    I don't think that it is wrong for a mother to paint her son's toenails pink. Children are expected to be curious and desire toys and clothes of the opposite sex. Little boys will play with barbies and girls will want action figures. I think along with allowing a boy to paint his toenails, or ask his mother to do it, the parent should still encourage gender specific activities to give the child options of what he/she likes best.

    As far as J.Crew's ad is concerned, the company is generally viewed as conservative apparel. Recently the line has become more edgy and modern the ad is a representation of that. Gender roles are blurred right now, and social issues are in such debate that it is now wonder that J.Crew incorporated that into an ad.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Nicole Gurncik

    Nicole Gurnick
    Thursday Morning

    I honestly don't believe that it is wrong for a mom to paint her sons toes pink. Children will be curious. A boy will want to know what it is like to play with dols or what makeup is and a girl will want to explore the boys side of action and adventure. J. Crew's ad, in my opinion, isn't any of a concerned because I have seen girls wearingboys clothing and boy's waering girls clothing so i guess it really doesn't make much of a difference.

    ReplyDelete
  23. ThursdayAM

    My one belief in children is to raise them happy. I don't feel that painting a boys toenails will cause a universal breakdown. This polish has no bearing on the boys gender. One has nothing to do with the other. What I do see in this image is a mother and son bonding and amused by the fact that he has on this polish.
    As for why J. Crew put this ad together seems obvious. This ad made the Today Show and how many other segments. The purpose of ads are for people to see and talk. I know this was accomplished or we wouldn't be talking about it now.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Brett A. Williams

    Tuesday Morning Class

    I think that nature and nurture both play a part in gender confusion, transgenders, Heterosexuals, and Homosexuals. I believe that it is a parents jobs to teach their children values and how to properly function in society. I don't believe this ad should have been released. I can however see why the ad was released the way it was. It's cutting edge, it's controversial, it sells. What needs to be discussed here is ethics and pushing topics for personal gain.

    And as far as mother's painting their son's toe nails I think it to be irresponsible for the most part. I think having fun with your kids is an important part of development and so is personal expression, however there are certain actions that male and females should refrain from doing. I know there are many debates around this and equality. I have religious views that make this topic a no brain-er. As for those who don't agree with me my opinion is based strictly on my religion therefore if you don't share my religion you will most likely share my views. In such case I respectfully agree to disagree.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ryan Pluckebaum
    Thursday Morning

    I think that the moms that are letting their children dress like the opposite gender is totally fine. I dont see anything wrong with it. If a parent sees a problem with it then they are not accepting their child as their child. And with the ad, I think the mom is playing with their child and having fun with it. Let the boy be pretty. I like looking pretty so why cant the little boy. I dont think the ad is inappropriate i just think it is fun. We all love having fun so lets go have fun! We should all paint our toe nails neon pink! REVOLUTION WITH PINK TOE NAILS!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I dont see a problem with this. I think its showing a mother and son having fun together in a more modern unconventional way. It shows her family is normal and has their own qwerky characteristics just like any other family. As far as raising kids according to societies gender roles, to each his own. I will do what I want to do and I have no problem with what others choose to do. My personal opinion is to raise a child knowing boys are boys and girls are girls and ways in which to interact or treat eachother, but when it comes to things like chores I agree with Stephanie in that my boys will help with laundry and girls will help with trash. Its also important to me to keep the stereotype of "men being money makers and women being housewives" out of my childrens heads. I wasnt raised that way and believe we all should have a fair and equal chance in the work world.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Natasha Hill
    Thursday moring class
    I don't have any kids but if I did I would not want my son to wear nail polish. I would want my girl to be a girl and a boy to be a boy but that is fine if people want to paint their sons nails or toes not me. I think that J. Crew knew what they were doing for the ad that is why everyone is talking about it.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Temo Morales
    Thursday Morning Class

    The picture with the kid with pink nail polish and his mom doesnt really jump out at me as offensive.
    Kids will be kids. They want to explore and whats out there for them. The picture showed a mom and her kid playing. I do believe that its important to tell your kids hey this is for girls and this is for boys. Because eventually they will learn that society has rules on what a boy and a girl can do.
    The people who saw this picture exaggerated and blew it out of proportion.

    2nd.
    J.Crew might have chosen the picture to show that the shirt is fun to wear anytime even when you are playing. Its a great photo showing bonding time between a mother and child.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Stephanie Harrison
    Thursday morning

    I don’t think that there is anything wrong with a mom painting her sons toes. Kids are very curious little ones that are always looking at what others are doing; they tend to mimic what they see. It is a part of the process of how they become how they are.
    It is important to raise a kid to find out who they are by them self, not push them in to the traditional gender roles of society.
    I think J Crew used this photograph to grab attention of the viewer. Witch in advertising is what you need to do. Most women’s advertisement plays on the emotions of woman. Women tend to pay attention more if a story is being told and what better story if there than a mom bonding with her son.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Brandon Weifenbach
    Thurs am

    Yeah I'm late again, I work thirds what do you want, jeez. Anyway, this is a non-controversial, non-issue, that I struggle to even care enough to type about. I don't care what color moms' choose to paint their sons digits. Or what color their son chooses, perhaps. And it doesn't matter if you raise your offspring according to traditional gender roles, as children are now raised by the internet. Or the streets. As far as why J.Crew chose this picture, the marketing department thought it was the cutest. Issue resolved.

    ReplyDelete
  31. To answer the second question..J.Crew is a lifestyle brand, not only do they market their clothing but they market the lifestyle their clothing would best suit. They are a very iconic brand known for their "preppy" look. With that being said, their advertising is very personable and I'm sure half of their customers looking at them can picture themselves in that very outfit doing that very thing. So what better way to connect with the brand and be more personable than advertise one of the designers with her child. It gives life not only to the brand but the designer behind it. Whether it be her painting her sons nails, or playing catch with him. I believe that was the intention in the advertisement, no sort of political statement. So no, I do not think there is a thing wrong with painting your sons nails pink. Raise him how you choose to not how society want you too.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I think that companies like J. Crew use images of family and cute couples because it is something the customer can relate to. They see normal people doing everyday things and then they say, "Oh look at her cute outfit, lets go spend all our money at J. Crew!" The image of the woman painting her sons nails pink is a little out of the norm but is not a dangerous piece of propaganda as the media would have us believe. The roles of men and women today have changed but we still need to have clear distinctions between male and female activities. Painting your sons nails is harmless but it is counter productive to raising a healthy male child. Play catch with him or something, so at least he can hide his hot pink nail polish under some baseball cleats. I think that the creative director used this picture because she thought it was cute, not because she was trying to send trans-gender propaganda for all the young male children. The media blew this story way out of proportion. She just made a poor choice. Unless her son grows up and has a sex change operation things will be fine.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Yajaira Hermosillo
    Tuesday Morning

    I really disagree on mom's painting their son's toes pink. Even though it's harmless I think that a little boy doesn't know from good or wrong. If he likes painting his toes right know that he's young he's going to like looking at himself look like a girl just because his mother tought him that there is nothing qrong with that even though there is. Boys nd girls should be treated equal but at the same time I really like that they should also dress different. Don't get me wrong I have friends that are gay but the same time, I don't think that was cool posting pictures of that on the internet or anywhere else. Even though boys and girls are different genders I think that they should do the same things but like I said they shouldn't dress the same they should be different on that. I think tha J. Crew used that picture becasue he though people were going to think that was cute but it wasn't cute people didn't agree on what the mom did to the son. I know that if I have a son I'm not going to dress him or paint his toes or fingers, none of that.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I don't see a problem with painting a young boys toes pink. I don't have a problem with a girl playing with tonka trucks. Raising children is not my specialty but what ever makes them happy is fine with me. JCrew is using this controversial photo as shock value. It is a way to get their names in the press. They did an excellent job at it too.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I think that it is extremely important that parents not raise their children according to societies pre-determined gender roles. I believe that if the parents did allow their children to wear what they wanted to wear, or behave how they wanted to behave, then there would be no initial confusion. The confusion stems from their view that everyone is supposed to look or wear certain things if they are a part of a particular sex. To be honest, i am not entirely sure why J.Crew chose to use this particular photograph to market women's clothing. Perhaps it was because it was simply a photo of a mother and her son enjoying their time together. perhaps the undertone of the photograph was about acceptance. I am sure that the company did not expect such a huge reaction from the ad.

    ReplyDelete