You see an indecent shop window display. What do you do—keep walking or walk in and speak up? One mother was so disturbed by a T-shirt while shopping in a Utah mall with her teenager, she decided to take action.
According to an article in CBS, the provocative T-shirts, featuring images of scantily clad models, were on sale at a PacSun store in the University Mall in Orem.
When Judy Cox clocked them, she confronted staff only to be told the display could not be removed without permission from the chain's corporate office.
Taking matters into her own hands, Cox waltzed right in and bought the T-shirts. Every last one in stock. There were 19 of them, retailing at around $28 each, for a total of $567.
Of course, Cox made the purchase to prove a point and plans to return the T-shirts at the end of the beach retailer's 60-day return period. But in the meantime, at least no one else will be wearing them or seeing them on display. Not if she has anything to say about it.
"These shirts clearly cross a boundary that is continually being pushed on our children in images on the Internet, television and when our families shop in the mall," Cox said.
Orem is apparently a very conservative and religious town, which CBS claims "frowns on pornography and encourages its youth to dress and act modestly." In fact, sexually explicit material is prohibited as part of city code.
"I hope my efforts will inspire others to speak up within their communities," added Cox. "You don't have to purchase $600 worth of T-shirts, but you can express your concerns to businesses and corporations who promote the display of pornography to children."
It isn't the first time Orem residents have taken issue with retailers—in the past, Victoria's Secret has been asked to modify its imaging. Yet Cox insists the clientele in this case is specifically junior high and high school age, and that's what makes the T-shirts inappropriate.
What do you think of Cox's actions: prudish or protective?
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