JC Penney Pulls 'Too Pretty to Do Homework' T-Shirt
Well, that was fast-moving scandal. An hour or so after J.C. Penney came under fire on Twitter and the web for selling a T-shirt (above) for girls that reads, "I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me," the store has issued a statement, posted at the Village Voice, indicating that it's going to pull the controversial item:
J.C. Penney is committed to being America's destination for great style and great value for the whole family. 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 to our customers and are taking action to ensure that we continue to uphold the integrity of our merchandise that they have come to expect.
A caption promoting the shirt had read, "Who has time for homework when there's a new Justin Bieber album out? She'll love this tee that's just as cute and sassy as she is." An online petition slammed the message: "Under the guise of being 'cute,' J. C. Penney is promoting merchandise that encourages girls to value looks over brains; to leave academics to the boys, and to aspire to nothing more than fawning after Justin Bieber."
