I sent a complaint to the CEO of Justice (you'll need to read the previous blog to understand this post). It didn't get past the Customer Relations Department, but at least they took the time to acknowledge my complaint and respond. The ball has been smacked back into my court. Here's what they said:
Thank you for contacting Justice in regards to your recent experience. On behalf of Justice, I sincerely apologize for any frustration or inconvenience you may have experienced in this situation. Open communication such as yours encourages us to improve the quality of our business. It is important that your concerns are addressed.
In order to address this situation, I would like to share your feedback with our Regional Sales Office. Please reply with the name of the location in which you were shopping so that I may forward your feedback and concerns to the appropriate area.
Again, thank you for contacting us. I hope that you will be able to shop with us in the future and enjoy future experiences. I look forward to any additional information you can provide.
Yesterday, I went into a young girls' clothing store called "Justice" to return a sweater that I had bought my daughter for Christmas that she was too afraid to tell me she hated and would never wear. The tags were still on it! (What is it about mothers turning into fashion failures after they have kids?)
Anyway, I walked up to the register and standing behind it with a pretty little smile on her face was a 20-something gal looking perky -- and quite seductive in a top cut so low, I could almost see her areolas. Swear to God! I looked around to make sure I hadn't accidentally walked in to a Frederick's of Hollywood, and for a split second thought I should check the sign outside the store to see if it said, "Girls! Girls! Girls!"
I was flabbergasted that a clerk working in a store that sold clothes for young girls between 5 and 12 years old would be dressed like a stripper. Had she no common sense? Doesn't she realize that our young daughters are watching, and learning, from her generation of young women? If they see all these gals walking around baring their breasts like it's a mandatory dress code for that age group, they will think it's OK to dress that way, too; that sexy and slutty are "in," and modesty is SO uncool.
I mean, what are these salesclerks thinking when they get dressed for work? Do they think some really cute guy is going to walk in to a store for little girls, for no apparent reason, see them up at the counter showing their nipples and think, "You are SO hot! I want to whisk you away from this miserable minimum-wage existence to birth my babies!" (Picture Richard Gere in "An Officer and a Gentleman.") These stores aren't bars or nightclubs -- they are WORK places!
So I did what any Mad Mom would do: I asked for the manager. I told her that I was a mother of a tween -- a very impressionable tween -- and that I didn't appreciate shopping in a store for young girls where the salesclerks are dressed like hookers. I suggested that she tell all the Justice employees to cover up -- or at least wear cammies over all that cleavage. I told her it is highly inappropriate to dress like that around our innocent young daughters and that they had an obligation, working in a store like this, to be role models for our children.
In other words, I suggested she mandate a new dress code for her employees of "Less cleavage, more class."
And I'd like to encourage every mother out there who has a young daughter to follow suit. If you walk into a store that sells products aimed at your child, and the salesclerks look like prostitutes, PLEASE go up to the manager and let her know that you're not going to be shopping there any longer if her employees continue to dress like that because it's sending the wrong message to our children, who are oversexualized enough as it is.
If each of us can do this one little thing, we may be able to help our daughters hang on to their innocence a little bit longer.
Better yet, send a complaint to their customer service department. Maybe if they get hit with enough mad-mom e-mails, they might reconsider their employee dress code. Here's the link (and a BIG thank you to Joe at joeprose.typepad.com/my_weblog for suggesting that we attack them digitally!): http://www.shopjustice.com/customerService/Contact_Us
Yep, I’m mad all right. Mad about all the destructive influences on our children these days: RAP music, violent video games, sexually provocative t-shirts, raunchy kids’ fashions, mean-spirited schoolmates, spoiled young girls with major BRATtitudes, the outright rudeness of many young kids toward adults and one another, and of course, reality shows like “America’s Top Model” that send the message to girls that they’re fat if they’re larger than a size 2. I have two daughters, and while I’m a spiritual person, I’m not a religious fanatic, either. I am simply one mother who is fed up with the destructive pop culture, who is trying to keep our children innocent for as long as possible. I started this blog as a place for parents to speak out about the world surrounding their children without feeling judged or pressured by political correctness. It's also cheaper than therapy at $150/hour. So feel free to let it all hang out right here!
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