Degrading or empowering? Jay Jays is under pressure to pull these T-shirts from shelves.
TEEN clothing staple Jay Jays has come under fire for its provocative range of T-shirts, which campaigners label ‘pornographic’ and ‘degrading to women’.
The retailer, owned by the Just Group, has cancelled its reorder of the garments, which are marketed at young men, after backlash from parents on social media.
Lobby group Collective Shout issued a rallying cry over the salacious T-shirts this week, calling on Jay Jays to “step up and stand up against the exploitation of girls and women”.
“Stop participating in the objectification of girls and women to sell your products!” the group said in a Facebook post.
Just Group general manager Linda Whitehead responded to campaigners, writing that she had instructed the buying team to cancel all orders for the controversial T-shirts and promised a review of selection processes.
But she declined to pull the remaining stock from Jay Jays shelves, as demanded by Collective Shout, writing in a Facebook comment: “I myself am a mother of three children. I note your concern and I have just instructed the buying team to cancel orders for these prints.”
Campaigners argue that images which stereotype and objectify women as sex objects contribute to gender inequality and violence against women.
It’s not the first time Jay Jays has been criticised over its T-shirts. Last year, anti-bullying campaigners took issue with a top bearing the Mean Girls catchcry “You can’t sit with us”.
Last year, there were calls for this Jay Jays T-shirt to be banned.Source:Supplied
Mum Verina Green wrote on the Jay Jays Facebook page that the retailer was her 15-year-old daughter’s favourite store.
“She even wants a job there when she is 16,” Mrs Green wrote.
“However we will not be going in until you remove those degrading T-shirts. Your stores mostly have young women working there — how terrible that they have to turn around and sell these items that promote them in such a sexualised manner ... Not even able to see their faces, just their bodies to be ogled and drooled over!
“Take a step up Jay Jays and become a business that refuses to sell clothing that demeans degrades, sexualises, and objectifies women and girls.”
Melanie Quilliam commented that she was “very disappointed in the message you are sending to the general public about how you as a business view women”.
“I will not be shopping at your store and will be encouraging my friends to also not shop in your store while you objectify women,” Ms Quilliam said.
However, not everyone was outraged.
Jan Pek compared the T-shirts with having a calender of sexy firemen, and argued that they could be seen as “empowering” rather than sexist.
“Someone explain to me how this is exploitation?” she wrote.
“The women get paid, they are showing off natural bodies ... They aren’t stick figures for a change.”
Collective Shout also called on Jay Jays to sign its corporate responsibility pledge.
News.com.au has reached out to the Just Group for comment.
