Shame on J.C. Penney

By: American Decency Staff

Untold numbers of people are bewildered and outraged by J.C. Penney’s new “Fresh Recruitsâ€Â ad targeting young girls. See the ad for yourself.  Express your disgust to J.C. Penney by clicking on the action link below and pass this email alert on to your friends. Disclaimer: The following ad is made available for the purposes of helping you to see that our claim is legitimate and concerning. For those of you who especially struggle with visual things, we urge you just to take our word for it.Click here for ad: Contact J.C. Penney at this action link: http://bit.ly/e6xPNw Or write: J.C. Penny Company, Inc. Myron Ullman, Chairman and CEO 6501 Legacy Drive Plano, TX 75024 Ph: 972-431-1000 Fx: 972-431-9140 Media Relations Darcie Brossart (972-431-3400) jcpcorp@jcpenneycom Here’s what others are saying: Email #1: Shame on J.C. Penney Dear J.C. Penney: Shame on J. C. Penney!  Go back to the drawing table!  If it takes this kind of advertising in order to sell your swimwear, that does not speak well of the merchandise!  J. C. Penneys is a leader and always has been.  Leaders lead; they don't follow!  I am disappointed.  I am a J. C. Penney card holder and in good standing.  NEVER forget you and your credit card have competition!  I am disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear.  My daughter is 24 years old now.  I purchased MANY of her clothes from J. C. Penney because I approved of what was being sold.  Again I say, 'Go back to the drawing table!  You can do better. ================= Email #2:  Bewildered and disgusted I am a regular customer at jcp.com as well as the local JC Penny store. However, I am not only bewildered but extremely disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear.  … I stopped shopping at Victoria's Secret when they started using young girls as models dressed in scanty clothing, and I guess I can do the same with you. I hope, however, that you will clean up your advertising and publish only wholesome ads with a positive message. ================== Email #3: Appalled and disgusted I was appalled and disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear.  As a very long time Penny's shopper, ever since I was old enough to open a Christmas Catalog and say I want this …., I have trusted you for family shopping.  In more recent years you have showed a trend of continuing to degrade the company with this type of marketing. ———————– Email #4: Former public high school teacher and college professor As a former public high school teacher and college professor, I  am not only bewildered but disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear. ===================== Email #5: What happened to J.C. Penney? What happened to the J.C. Penney we used to shop at for our family clothing? I am disappointed and disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear. ================================ Email 6: skimpy beyond anything … My problem with this ad is in part the pictorial content but even more a concern over whether or not a very young girl should be wearing swimming attire like this.  The pictorial content does suggest that these very young girls are fresh (as in virgins) recruits (as in available for hire) and clearly the swimsuits are skimpy beyond anything we’d allow a daughter of mine to wear.  If JC Penny wants to sell items like these, fine, but keep them in the store and out of the advertising where the minds of young boys will be lead to less than respectful places and I’ll just plan to shop elsewhere.  Little girls don't need to be told they have to have bodies like those in the ad or they're just not REAL girls.  Your ad sends that message and it's a bad one. Our society has sexualized females at every possible age and JC Penny has jumped on that bandwagon adding to a decrease in our national morality and increasing the loss of innocence of  our culture’s youngest little girls.  I think JC Penney is going the wrong way … ================================= Email #7:  Bad taste! We have a large family and will discontinue spending any money in your stores if we do not see a change.  I am also upset about a poster at one mall, at the entrance of the JC Penney store of a woman in a bra.  We cannot even enter the store without having our boys and husbands to be faced with that!  Bad taste! ================== Email #8: Long time customer I am a long time customer and we buy all our clothes from JC Penneys and I am not only bewildered but disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear. ================= Email #9:  Long time customer Let me start off by saying that I am a LONG time loyal customer of yours. I have had an account with you for 14 years and use it regularly because I like your product lines and prices. It was very upsetting for me to see your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear. ================= Email #10 To whom it concerns at J.C. Penney: Although not surprised, I am disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear. You know the ad:  Little girls are in very revealing bikinis … FRESH RECRUITS. Your subtitle reads:  WE MAKE IT PLAYFUL. YOU MAKE IT FUN. Can you say "Prosti-tots?" ================= Email #11: “I will be shopping elsewhereâ€Â I wonder exactly what you mean by "FRESH RECRUITS". FRESH RECRUITS !!!?? RECRUITS FOR WHAT? Are you pimping these girls? Why would you have very young girls modeling things that expose breasts (at least one of them – the other 2 barely have any breasts yet) and their pubic area? In my book, you are exploiting these girls and promoting the exploitation of all young girls by this kind of advertising. Are you people aware of the child abductions, rape, sexual assault, sex trafficking that we face today? Are you aware of the level of unplanned pregnancies and abortions today? If so, why would you deliberately sexualize very young girls? … But I do know this, James Cash Penney would be turning over in his grave if he knew what happened to his company that honored God with everything he did. And I will tell you that the blessings that he received because he honored God with his company, will depart from J.C. Penney if you continue to promote your clothing in a way that demeans women and girls. Furthermore, I was just thinking about purchasing diamond jewelry for my daughter for her April birthday, from you. But now that I have been made aware of your advertising policies, I will be shopping elsewhere for that jewelry. I will also be cutting up my credit card if I see that you continue to advertise like this. I will be watching you. Please change your advertising and modeling to tasteful images using mature women. Please protect the innocence of young girls by showing them examples of dressing nicely, and tastefully. I will be anxiously awaiting your response. Sincerely, ======================= Email #12: loyal customer and mother of five SHOCKED, SADDENED, DISGUSTED, SICKENED…all are words I would use to describe your recent ad for your Arizona Jeans brand swimwear. I am a loyal J.C. Penney customer and a mother of five children (3 daughters/2 sons, all in the 13-23 year old range.)  Honestly, I can't believe you would stoop … ================= Email #13  What is up with this ad? Dear J.C. Penney: What is up with this ad?  Are you trolling for pedophiles? I am not only bewildered but disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear. ====================== Email #14: young girls as play things? Your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear is not quite kiddy porn, rather it is what it says:  a recruiting poster  –  FRESH RECRUITS. The ad shows little girls in bikinis showing cleavage and with hardly anything covering their bottoms.  It really looks like you think that young girls are play things available for recruitment. My granddaughters are this age.  I want an apology.  And discontinue this sort of ad, for goodness sake! It is important that I hear from you. However, if your response is merely a form letter that doesn't address my concerns …. I have been a satisfied customer for many years, but I might just reconsider! Sincerely, Email #15:  Stop trying to compete with Victoria’s Secret : I FIRST WANT TO SAY THAT I AM A J C PENNEY CREDIT CARD HOLDER AND SHOP THERE FREQUENTLY FOR ALL MY CLOTHES. HOWEVER, IF THIS INAPPROPRIATE ADVERTISING CONTINUES, I WILL CUT UP MY CARD AND SHOP ELSEWHERE! PENNEY'S USED TO BE KNOWN AS DECENT. STOP TRYING TO COMPETE WITH VICTORIA'S SECRET AND OTHER COMPANIES THAT ADVERTISE IMMORALLY. THANK YOU! ===================== Email #16:  I use a J.C. Penney credit card. I shop your store and use a JC Penney credit card.  I have two young daughters and if you continue to use little girls provocatively in your ads I will discontinue patronizing your store and will cancel my credit card. ================================= Email #17 parading nearly nude young adolescents I found the Fresh Recruits ad patently offensive.  Why parade nearly nude young adolescents on your flier? And we make it playful?  What is the "it"?  Why make these young girls into sex objects? I've always had respect for J.C. Penney's company and thought you had a certain dignity, but this contradicts that respectable image. Please exercise more discretion in your ads. They certainly won't draw business from me or mine. ============================================================= Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org www.twitter.com/billwjohnson American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

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