I'm not sure that we brought this up in class, but apparently, there was a bit of an uproar last week when customers of JCrew received this ad. As you can see, a mother (Jenna) and her son (Beckett) These are not hired models, but a real employee and her son who are captured for the ad sharing a mani/pedi moment. Instead of viewing the ad and simply continuing to flip through the catalog find the perfect chartreuse cardigan, some customers expressed outrage suggesting, like Dr. Ketih Albow, that what Jenna is doing will cause deep psychological damage to Beckett, and that Jenna is actually planting the seeds of Beckett's gender identity. Some even went as far as calling the ad "blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children."
You know what I think? Little kids love to paint their finger and toe nails. Period. Yes. Even. Little. Boys. And JCrew caught that in an adorable photo perfect for an ad. Now, where is that cardigan?
Wow this really upsets me. Geez I'm totallt mortified that this was even a problem to begin with. I believe that kids are kids and should get to experience everything and anything within reason. What is the harm is my question. The harm would be if Jenna had to explain to Beckett why he isnt allowed to paint his nails. Just because he is a boy. This is gender profiling at its best.
ReplyDeleteMattie:)