Life-Long JC Penney Shoppers not happy

By: American Decency Staff

J.C. Penney’s recent ad campaign “Fresh Recruitsâ€Â has disgusted long time Penney’s shoppers. Despite hearing from thousands of concerned consumers, J.C. Penney’s remains silent. We urge you to use our action link and join with many others in expressing your concern.  We urge you to take a few extra moments as these below have done and add your own thoughts of your great disappointment.  J.C. Penney’s once upon a time stood for modesty, decency and for appropriate dress and style for our youth. See the ad below and then contact J.C. Penney’s. 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 DrivePlano, TX 75024 Ph: 972-431-1000 Fx: 972-431-9140 Media Relations Darcie Brossart (972-431-3400) jcpcorp@jcpenneycom ===================== Email #1 – Life-long JC Penney shoppers: I am more than 72 years old, and my folks (dad died one year ago yesterday at age 97, mother is about to turn 95), always shopped JC Penney, as have I.  But, I must tell you that I will not again darken your doors until I learn that you terminate these repulsive ads with sincere contrition for this egregious violation of decency. Sincerely yours, M. S. – Albany, OR 97321 ===================== Email #2 – Looking for value, selection, and moral decency: Dear J.C. Penney: I am not only bewildered but disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand Fresh Recruits swimwear. Families who were looking for value and selection PLUS moral decency in clothes have shopped at JC Penney, but no more.  What is going on here? Please rethink how you are doing business and what you are trying to convey as the standard for JC Penney. There are many, many families out here in America who are asking for a store where we can shop for clothes that are appropriate for CHILDREN.  Please don't become part of the problem in America where we are trying to "sexualize" our children at younger and younger ages. We will reap what we sow — that proverb has proven true time and time again.  Give us what we want and what is right and decent. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Sincerely, J. and J. B. ===================== Email #3 – A survivor’s perspective: I'll go a step further and say, as a survivor of childhood incest and stranger molestation, your ad sends a message to those who perceive children as sexual toys. It even glamorizes it. To those of us who have endured abuse because of sexual predators, your ad is a slap in the face and a forced memory of past abuse. Playful and fun? I was a fresh recruit, and I was asked if I was having fun in his playful times. Sincerely, D.W. ===================== Email #4 – Cheap, rather than creative, marketing: I am a Christian mother in Ahwatukee (Arizona) who frequently shops at your Ray Road location in Phoenix. I am not only bewildered but disgusted with your recent ad for your Arizona Jean brand swimwear. This is exactly the kind of perpetual problem with cheap advertising agencies who lack in creativity and/or your company lacks the marketing dollars to hire an agency with tactful, creative marketing concepts. Sincerely, C.M. ===================== Email #5 – Children are priceless gifts: To Whom It May Concern:  (That's you J.C. Penney!) For more years than I can count, I have ordered various kinds of merchandise from "good ole J.C. Penney.  Now I find the company has lowered their standard to "the worlds Low life views. Is greed your excuse or just a lapse of good judgement? Our children are our priceless gifts & to bring them down to the level of your advertising is shameful.  I will be waiting & holding my J.C. Penney credit from purchasing anything until I hear from you that a terrible mistake has been made. Until then I remain, J. S. ===================== Email #6 – Disturbed Penney’s customer: I buy most of my clothes from JCPenney, and have for years, so I am really disturbed. Sincerely, D.R. ===================== Email #7 – Disgusted and repulsed: Dear J.C. Penney: I was quite disappointed to hear of your Fresh Recruits ad. While certainly the trend in advertising these days veers towards the overtly sexualized, that does not mean that all of society blindly accepts these changes. In particular, there are a number of people, such as myself, who are thoroughly disgusted and repulsed by your actions. It seems in particularly poor taste considering that these are children.  Do you really want to be known as a company that leers at the bodies of pre-adolescents? If so, then you apparently also want to be known as a company that I will never, ever give another dime to as long as you continue this trend. I'm not sure how many customers your ad will bring in, but I'm sure you'll get more visits from fifty-year-old men hoping to make it playful with some fresh recruits.  Please do not respond with a form letter, or I will be forced to respond to you with my form response to form letters. Sincerely, I. M. P.S. I suggest that you add surveillance software on the work computers of everyone involved in the creation of the ad, to see what websites they're visiting to get their inspiration from. ===================== Email #8 – Will not spend one more penny: I will not spend one more penny at a J.C. Penney if this advertising is not stopped, and I have spent many a penny there over the years! Also, don't stop there. Stop using posters in the store of mostly nude women in, of course, provocative poses, so that families can once again shop without being bombarded! We women certainly don't need a picture of a woman in a bra and panties to show us what to do with them…these posters and pictures have one purpose, which you know is to produce lust in men and demean women as objects of lust and the pleasure of men rather than dignified human beings. Sincerely, C.E. ===================== Email #9 – J.C. Penney card holder: I am a J C Penney card holder in very good standing and am seriously considering not shopping with you anymore unless you clean up your act.  I have spent a lot of money with you! ===================== Email #10 – parental leadership: We are currently in Aruba and swimsuits like this are all over the beach- I agree that this new target on young teens is ridiculous. The real issue is that parents have to begin being parents and tell their daughter they can not buy these. If parents didn't spend their money on them, the young girls wouldn't be wearing them… M. ===================== Email #11 –parents of three daughters: Dear J.C. Penney: WE are disgusted about your recent ad for Arizona Jean brand swimwear that targets young teens showing cleavage and very little covering their bottoms! J.C. Penney has stooped too low with this one! FRESH RECRUITS? PLAYFUL AND FUN?  To exploit children this way suggests that young girls are play things available for recruitment. We want to hear a response from you, that you are correcting your decision to advertise in a way that obviously, blatantly sexualizes children. Sincerely, D. and P. H. (parents of three daughters) ===================== Email #12 – parent of three sons: My parents were customers at J.C. Penney stores from way back and I have continued with many clothes purchases over many years.  The thought of J.C. Penny's always brought to mind a good, wholesome, fun shopping experience no matter whether it was my mother buying my over-alls (Blue jeans now) or my wife and I buying clothes for our three boys.  There is absolutely no need for you to depart from your heritage and go into porn using young girls as models who are virtually available.  This is not only distasteful but sickening.  It is a new low in advertising for you and shows signs of deeper sickness.  Do not worry about losing me as a customer, worry about all the rest of the decent people that are concerned about J.C. Penny's advertising and the thought behind it! Sincerely, M.R. ===================== Email #13 – J.C. Penney’s history of pro-family perceptions: It is important that I hear from you. However, if your response is merely a form letter without sincerely addressing this concern, you will only bring further injury to my perception of JC Penney.  In a day when children are sexualized and preyed upon, please work to protect their innocence, rather than exploit them. I work as a Volunteer Guardian ad. Litem and a child advocate attempting to assist boys and girls in making healthy transitions to their teen years and this kind of ad is certainly distressing, considering the pro-family perceptions that have generally prevailed when Mr. Penny was personally involved. Sincerely, BL ===================== Email #14 – protect their innocence: My perception of JC Penney has fallen.  In a day when children are sexualized and preyed upon, please work to protect their innocence, rather than exploit them.  Please change your advertising direction so I can return to JC Penney. ===================== Email #15 – Disgusted grandparents: We only shop JCP and we also have 6 granddaughters under the age of 12. What do you have planned for them if this is what you are doing with teens. This is disgusting and revolting. If we see this add in print we will stop spending our hard earned and moral money at your store which happens to be located at the McKinley and Galleria Malls. ===================== Email #16 – Why make young girls into sex objects?: 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. Sincerely, C. H. ===================== Email #17 – Go back to the drawing table!: 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 than that!" ===================== Email #18 – Shocked 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 to the following … ===================== Email #19 – Offending its own customers: I have been a J.C. customer since 1969! but if this recent ad is an example I will be shopping at other stores. What a disgrace to such a great company to fall so low, that it offends its own customers! ============================================================= Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

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