A mall and their attorney —

By: American Decency Staff

*** Our letter to 83 mall stores *** Response from the mall attorney office *** A letter from an employee within the mall *** Our responseAfter months of urging Victoria's Secret in the Lakes Mall in Muskegon, Michigan to tone down their displays, it became clear we weren't getting anywhere. I had placed a call to the Lakes Mall Manager, Michael Hagen and emailed to the corporate CEO Stephen Lebovitz. I received no telephone call only an email from Mr. Hagen telling me that I needed to express my concerns to Victoria's Secret. They were the ones that needed to respond to my concerns. [See letter below] *** Our letter to 83 mall stores As a result, on Monday, we mailed a letter to the 83 stores in the Lakes Mall expressing our concern stating in part: "… I’m writing to you because of the great difficulty in finding remedy either through Victoria’s Secret local, the corporate office of Victoria’s Secret, or through Lakes Mall management. When we expressed concern to Mr. Hagen, he stated that we are to take up our concerns with Victoria’s Secret. If one expresses concern to the local Victoria’s Secret store, the manager makes referral to their corporate headquarters. When calling corporate headquarters, they state that they will take the concern under careful consideration – and yet nothing changes for the better. The same scenario occurs in mall after mall across the country. …" Further, we wrote: "… We are writing to let you know that if this concern continues to be dismissed, it seems that the only way to avoid these unwelcome displays is to avoid the mall entirely and ask others to do the same. Our voice may fall on deaf ears now, but as the Christmas shopping season approaches will the loss of customers be the only way to get the attention of mall and corporate management? We realize that our decision to not shop the mall during the Christmas season will not only affect Victoria’s Secret, but also the many other stores occupying the same building, and so since we your shoppers are not being heard, it is our hope that you will exert your influence. We do urge you to discuss with Mr. Hagen and CBL Properties this ongoing concern. We urge you to talk with Victoria’s Secret and/or have corporate officers or attorneys discuss this issue with Victoria’s Secret, urging that they tone down the manner in which they market their products. …" *** Response from the mall attorney office On February 14, we received a letter from a law firm representing them stating: " … You have been advised to address your concerns directly to Victoria's Secret. …. Do not contact the Mall again regarding this matter. You should address your concerns to us as well as to Victoria's Secrets management." In our letter to the store malls, we asked the store management to contact us with any questions and comments. We received an email from a lady who stated in part: *** A letter from an employee within the mall " I had read the letter you had sent to the Lakes Mall and every store there … Every mall, every Victoria's secret in this country will continue to display what they sell. …" Here is my response to her one page letter. I offer it for the purposes of revealing our response to questions like: Why not shop someplace else? Why do you try to cause problem for the mall? What's wrong with mannequins? My letter in response to these and other questions. Dear ….: Thank you for graciously responding to our letter to the mall stores. Since you have already read my letter addressed to the store managers at Lakes Mall, you know of some of our concerns. As you might also expect, I am writing now as a senior (aged 61) though I would like you to know that I have been expressing such concerns for a long time – certainly since my thirties when I was a teacher of elementary aged children in the public schools. You seem bewildered that I could be concerned about – using your words – "a plastic mannequin." Having been a teacher for 18 years, a parent for 31 years and now more recently a grandparent for six years and having years ago probably seen things as you do as a young person, I want you to know that I didn't come by this change of view overnight. However, I am more convinced, with passing time, that my concerns regarding the impact of pornographic displays, messages, themes are legitimate and valid! What we place before our eyes, our moral sensitivities does impact. Lewd advertising does impact people – particularly the young. Our culture is becoming increasing lewd. Small wonder. We are impacted by what is placed before us. We expressed concern several months ago when Hardees was airing a hamburger commercial at the beginning of a school year featuring a female teacher in a very erotic display in front of male students. There was a great protest by a state teacher's union and Hardees dropped the ad. Why would a teacher's union protest an advertisement? The answer seems rather apparent. One person stated it this way: It's in a High School classroom and the teacher begins doing a raunchy dance as the boys join in and talk about flat backsides, or something like that . There are several variants of the commercial. With all of the female teacher /student sex going on, it is not only vulgar but highly irresponsible. … The advertising at Victoria's Secret is irresponsible. Even a CNN Headlines commentator came to a similar conclusion this past December. While interviewing me on the show – CNN Headline News – he stated his own position "It's happened to me. Walking through the mall, you're on the way to see Santa this time of year, and there's the 12-foot poster of the lady in the teddy and the lingerie. … I'm not anti-lingerie, but get it in the back of the store – my two kids don't need to see that as we're walking to Santa. … It's happening in malls across the country, and folks, some parents like myself are not too happy about it. … When it's coming at me, … It's overwhelming for the ten-year old and, as Bill pointed out, it could be overwhelming for me, as well." http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2007/11/30/prime.news.victoria.secret.mannequin.cnn Looking the other way or shopping in another place isn't the answer. I'm not trying to run away from the problem but rather I'm trying to address the problem – to be an influence for good. There are many people like the CNN commentator who are frustrated with having such trash foisted in front of their faces and in front of their loved ones' faces. And as stated in our letter to the mall, customers holding the concerns that many of us do are concerned because there is no valid person or authority to go to. The mall management says go express your concern to the local store. The local VS says that they have no control over the displays. Contact corporate Victoria's Secret. Corporate VS says thank you for your concern. You can be sure this will be reviewed, and this scenario is repeated over and over again in malls from coast to coast. If you don't understand the power of sexual imagery upon a man (or a woman for that matter), then apparently you don't understand that pornography is "every man's battle" (at some point in their life and for many throughout most of their lives). As I have stated, I'm not anti-underwear, bras, panties, teddies. However, there is a tasteful way to merchandise these garments and if Victoria's Secret wishes to advertise more graphically it would be more appropriate to place these within the store rather than in the front windows where shoppers can't avoid them. Many shoppers don't want to be bombarded with larger-than life photos of cleavage and other such erotic images typical of VS. Shouldn't parents be able to walk through the mall without exposing their children to such sexual imagery? You also state that Mr. Michael Hagen (Mall Management) and CBL properties can sue me for the trouble I am trying to cause. I would answer this way: I don't desire to cause trouble. I have called Mr. Hagen. I have left a message on his voice mail. I have emailed Mr. Hagen. I have told him I would like to visit with him and discuss this matter. I have received no response from him other than an email urging me to contact Victoria's Secret. This process has been going on for months and months – over a year. Lastly, you ask why am I only concerned about Lakes Mall. Lakes Mall isn't the only mall where we have expressed concern. That could be easily documented by perusing our web page at www.americandecency.org In regard to this matter, we are aware of a CEO of a much larger property than CBL Properties asking/urging Victoria's Secret to tone down their displays because their displays have been over the edge. One CEO admitted on one occasion that the VS display did feature the "bordello" (prostitute) look. Victoria's Secret, after all, is a leasee not the leasor of property. You also asked why don't we target other stores like "Younkers, JC Penney, Sears and other franchise stores who are displaying models for their underwear?" The answer is that we have addressed our concerns with JC Penney in the past, but for the most part these stores that you reference have not been characterized by such eroticism on a regular basis as Victoria's Secret. I hope this addresses some of your concerns … . Sincerely, Bill Johnson, president American Decency Association www.americandecency.org ==================================== "… Here is the reason why we have a moral breakdown in every area of life. The titanic freedoms which we once enjoyed have been cut loose from their Christian restraints and are becoming a force of destruction leading to chaos. And when this happens, there really are very few alternatives. All morality becomes relative, law becomes arbitrary, and society moves toward disintegration. In personal and social life, compassion is swallowed up by self-interest. …" Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer ================== If you think our efforts are worthy, would you please support us with a small gift? Thank you for caring enough to get involved. https://americandecency.org/folder.php?f=donate ==========================

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