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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Pornographic clothing

101 replies

ISeeWesen · 14/05/2015 17:14

I've name changed for this because I've ranted about this to everyone who will listen.

Today I made a complaint about a clothing display in a blokes clothing shop. A stand right at the front of the shop which opens in to the main avenue of a shopping centre. On the stand were several sweatshirts each with an image on the front made to look like the cover of a porn mag. A naked young woman squatting with her legs wide apart, nipples covered by text but I think her vagina had just been blurred out. The sweatshirts were hanging at child's eye level, I know this because I had a child with me and they were at his eye level.

I collared a store assistant and at first and pointed out that it wasn't great to hang porn right in the faces of kids, he did move them but I don't know where.

The AIBU bit is this. WIBU to request that these sweaters be moved. And AIBU to think there needs to be common sense about displaying sweatshirts with these sorts of pictures on. If magazines with the same image have to be displayed on the top shelf, I don't see why sweatshirts where the images are much much bigger, should be allowed to be hung in at eye-level and in plain view of any passing child.

[Message from MNHQ - some of the links posted on this thread contain t-shirts with fairly graphic images.]

OP posts:
spillyobeans · 15/05/2015 09:09

Or maybe we should all start wearing tshirts with guys nude from the hips down with just a hand to cover just the ahem 'tip' and see what responces we get HmmWink

Original poster
ISeeWesen · 15/05/2015 09:11

Dear Customer Services

Thank you for you quick response. However I don't feel you adequately answered my query. I asked you if you had any guidelines concerning the display of clothing with pornographic images as designs and if not would you consider putting some in place. Perhaps I wasn't clear what my problem was, these sweatshirts were right at the front of the shop clearly visible to people who are just walking by, and the images on these sweatshirts were exactly at the eye-level of a child.

If you are unable to answer my query, please could you forward my email on to somebody who can.

Yours sincerely

ISeeWesen

OP posts:
FriendofBill · 15/05/2015 09:45

www.childseyeline.org/

Szeli · 15/05/2015 10:09

You may not like them but they're hardly pornographic!

Love the second image, bit crap on a tshirt tho i agree

FriendofBill · 15/05/2015 10:36

How would you define pornographic Szeli?

morethanpotatoprints · 15/05/2015 11:13

FFs they couldn't give a shiny shit what you think OP, they are too busy running a business.
If you don't like it, look away.
You'd do well up here, loads of youngsters are wearing them, you'd have a permanent twitch.
It has nothing to do with you what people buy and wear, or what people sell as long as they aren't breaking any laws.
Obviously too much time on your hands, or is this your hobby? Grin
pmsl at pornographic clothes.

Sidge · 15/05/2015 11:25

Some of you need a dictionary:

Pornographic - Sexually explicit writing, images, video, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal.

If a T-shirt showing an image of a woman in a provocative position, wearing a thong and exposing her breasts and buttocks isn't designed to arouse then I don't know what you consider pornographic.

GiantGaspingSatanicCyst · 15/05/2015 11:36

"If you don't like it, look away" is such a shit response. Nothing would ever change if people looked away when they saw something offensive or ethically unsound.

"Yes, the world is full of slavery, violence, hate crime and shady practice. Just keep looking down and shuffling forward kids, maybe it will go away."

morethanpotatoprints · 15/05/2015 11:52

You are barking up the wrong tree if you think it will ever change though.
Just because a few women object to it, you won't change how men think.
I can't stand this attitude in any subject tbh. It isn't just this topic.
Why people think they have a right to campaign for how other people choose to live does my bonce in. People have a right to wear what they want, yes educate your children if you think this is wrong.
But don't be surprised if your sons grow up and head straight for the shop to buy one.

BarbarianMum · 15/05/2015 11:59
MargotLovedTom · 15/05/2015 12:00

Dear God, that Minaj one is 100% polyester as well! Wink

morethanpotatoprints - what is your opinion re: Page 3?

GiantGaspingSatanicCyst · 15/05/2015 12:01

None of that means a person shouldn't try, though. It would be a shite old life if everyone just gave up expressing their views and trying to make change for (what they see as) the better.

If my hypothetical grown up son came home wearing a pornographic T-shirt I would without doubt engage him in debate about it. Lively, sharp-tongued debate probably Grin I wouldn't necessarily expect him to comply and get rid, but I'd feel much better for having made my disapproval and the reasons for it clear.

Psycobabble · 15/05/2015 12:08

To the poster who said girls where similar ones with minaj etc posting on to

Well how sad

Why would any girl want to wear a t shirt with a half naked woman on Hmm
I can see why young lads would but it seems even more sexist to me that they also make them for girls why not have half naked men for the girls?? Can you imagine !

So so crass

You did the right thing op unfortunately these companies do t give a shit as long as there making money

ClaudetteWyms · 15/05/2015 12:23

YANBU to complain.

I am Grin at Gilbert's response upthread:

What's the mindset behind it though?
Do the men who buy them wank while looking in a mirror?
Is it to enable other men to become aroused?

morethanpotatoprints · 15/05/2015 12:48

Margot

My opinion of page three....
My ds x2 and their peers have grown up into lovely lads who by all reports I have seen in press etc are not numbed from watching porn, like many are today.
Page 3 was harmless, encouraging your dc to watch disgusting porn by buying them the gadgets to do so, is a bit hypocritical when campaigning to stop page 3.
That's my opinion on page 3.

DoraGora · 15/05/2015 13:00

If anybody knows anyone who wears one of these things, you need to rush out and buy them an accompanying penis-shaped hat. Let's face it; if you're going to dress like a nob, you might as well make a proper job of it.

MargotLovedTom · 15/05/2015 14:42

I hardly think buying a tablet is encouraging dc to watch disgusting porn. Tbh, I don't know where to start in order to respond to the 'Page 3 is harmless' comment and I've got to go out. Suffice to say, I strongly disagree.

yallahabibi · 15/05/2015 14:56

Blimey you would be bloody well be arrested wearing those t-shirts here in the Gulf.
Bet they are bought by loads of cha*s off on lads holidays /stags to islands steaming of vomit , beer and semen .Grim
Good job OP .

morethanpotatoprints · 15/05/2015 15:25

Margot

That's fine, it's good to not agree with everything other people believe.

I don't know how to respond to buying gadgets isn't encouraging dc to watch porn, because unless you specifically watch everything they do online they will no doubt copy their friends.

MsPoodleLover · 15/05/2015 15:43

Does anyone not wonder why there are no t shirts with nearly naked men on? Could it be that they dont wont to upset men but we just have to put up with it. I am in my 50s so feel too old but if someone younger could go to a printers they have loads of prints with semi naked men on them that they can put on a t shirt for you. It would be interesting to see the reaction. It would be even more interesting to see if a young guy would be happy for his partner to wear one. If I wasnt my age and would look ridiculous I would do it. Just an experiment

Morethan By the way, my son has been brought up that things like this and P3 objectify women. He is now 21 and has never bought a t shirt like that - I would shove it where the sun doesn't shine!

NoRockandRollFun · 15/05/2015 16:08

Those who say The company doesn't give a shit what you think are wrong. If you had taken to Twitter with a picture OP they would have got a battering online. A Welsh bus company were forced to remove an offensive campaign earlier this week after getting a beating on social media. Campaign groups like Child's Eyes ( or child's eye line, I think they rebranded, someone linked to it up thread) have managed to get porno/rape mags moved from child's level in most supermarkets recently. Well done for complaining OP.

captainfarrell · 15/05/2015 16:52

I am so annoyed at all the posters saying just look away. What planet are they on? It's degrading and immoral and adult material! Why are porn mags on a top shelf?
Any chance a mums net petition can be organised. We could get all those new female cabinet members on the case ha!

GilbertBlytheWouldGetIt · 15/05/2015 16:58

Naked men on t shirts wouldn't have the same effect, as it isn't backed up by centuries of oppression, sexual slavery and general second-class citizen inequality.

GilbertBlytheWouldGetIt · 15/05/2015 17:00

Blue Inc have already been through this with their incredibly ill-informed World Cup t-shirts.

Sallystyle · 15/05/2015 17:21

Disgusting.

My girls are bombarded with images in the media on how they should look, well what is a desirable way to look.

My boys are now bombarded with images of how perfect men should look (although not as much as girls) and through media are constantly being told how women should look.

I can't do much about it that. I don't however, expect them to see tits and arse on t-shirts and displayed in shops. Is there no end to it?