“Propaganda pushing the celebration of gender-confused boys wanting to dress and act like girls is a growing trend, seeping into mainstream culture.”
So says the Media Research Center Network (tagline: “Advancing Truth and Virtue in the Public Square”). Apparently, J.Crew has offended their delicate sensibilities by sending out an e-mail that features, among other things (including 20% off online orders over $150! score!), a picture of designer Jenna Lyons painting her son Beckett’s toenails. The adjacent puff piece, titled “Saturday with Jenna” briefly mentions her affinity for bright pink nail polish. “Lucky for me, I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink,” she said. “Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”
(image via Feministe)
Naturally, an image of a boy doing a “girl’s thing” is morally bankrupt and an example of child exploitation. At least according to the Media Research Center:
J.CREW, a popular preppy woman’s clothing brand and favorite affordable line of first lady Michelle Obama, is targeting a new demographic – mothers of gender-confused young boys. At least, that’s the impression given by a new marketing piece that features blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children. … J.CREW, known for its tasteful and modest clothing, apparently does not mind exploiting [Lyons’ son] Beckett behind the façade of liberal, transgendered identity politics.
First of all, the MRC must be paying its journalists well, because I certainly never thought of J.Crew as “affordable.” Also, I love how they threw in that Michelle Obama likes the brand. Clearly a sign of its liberal leanings!!!
So who cares if a J.Crew designer paints her son’s toes on a lazy Saturday afternoon? Oh right. No one. Well, no one except for eagle-eyed conservatives determined to protect our children from the liberal media’s assault on the gender binary. Except Lyons doesn’t say that Beckett is “gender-confused.” He just likes the color pink and, ostensibly, having his nails painted.
Furthermore, this was in a marketing email. So it was only sent to people signed up for the mailing list. The grand majority of people who saw this “exploitative” image were women in their 20s and 30s who have shopped online at jcrew.com. Even if this image had the potential to cause young boys to spontaneously decide they’d rather be girls (it’s that easy, right?), it lacks the demographic targeting of your average “propaganda” piece. On the other hand, gender bias and reinforcing stereotypes is rampant in advertising that’s actually directed at children. At Achilles Effect, one blogger made word clouds of ads for boys’ and girls’ toys. Here were the results:
So if you’re concerned that a picture in your inbox may turn your son into a drag queen, you need only point the young man to any/all commercials and print advertisements to set him straight. PUN INTENDED.
13 replies on “Right-Wing Media Watch Group Flips Out Over “Gender-Confused” J.Crew Ad”
My brother never wanted to be left out when my mom was painting our sister’s and my nails (I’m a girl). So he got his nails painted occasionally when he was a toddler. Guess who grew up to be gay? My sister and me. My brother is as straight as an arrow.
Wait, is my work making me confused about my gender identity? Our uniform is a light blue polo and dark blue pants.
Oh no… not…. PANTS!!!!! On a girl!
Also, thanks for linking to The Achilles Heel – just spent some time poking around there, and like what I see ;)
Or Achilles Effect. Whichever is the blog that you linked. I’m tired. Time for bed. Will fight the good fight against gender stereotyping tomorrow.
Yet another example of the way conservatives and I are profoundly different – I see this e-mail and think how awesome and refreshing it is that such a popular and mainstream company like J. Crew featured a little boy who likes painting his nails.
Yawn. My baby brother spent all of his very young life in the company of our mom and me. As a result, he developed a taste for shimmery purple nail polish, bubble baths, and blue lingerie (no, seriously). He’s now twelve, and enjoys video games and paintballing. Little kids change their interests ALL THE TIME. And even if the kid is legit transgendered, no amount of forced masculinity will change that so fuck off, moral guardians.
I don’t even. They know that by concerning themselves with gender identity and sexual orientation of children that young, they are SEXUALIZING CHILDREN, right? Trust a conservative to render something completely innocuous fraught instead with political import. I paint my dog’s toenails; am I affecting my dog’s gender identity?
Snort. You made your dog gay.
(Sorry, I had an inappropriate teenage boy moment.)
God, I hope so. We need a gay in the house, and I don’t have kids yet.
Does your dog also wrinkle his noes so much it looks like his muzzle will fall off and then not come near you for three days?
My dogs do NOT like having “pink ocean spray” nails. I knew I should’ve used the peach.
Damnit, I can’t embed but this seems oddly appropriate. :)
People make me sad sometimes. My friend’s baby boys weren’t allowed to play with my daughter’s baby dolls when their daddy was around because he didn’t want his sons to do anything “girly” – they were less than a year old. He was incapable of understanding that babies are interested in faces, regardless of gender.
that makes me sad. Since my daughter is older than my son, he’s getting quite the education on how to be a girl. He has fun with his sister’s toys, and took a great interest when we did our nails for the first time this spring. He didn’t get his painted this time, but he may in the future.
it’s also interesting to me that when girls take an interest in “boy toys”, it’s not anything but empowering. huh.