And now, just in time for Christmas, a t.shirt for girls announcing their sexual subservience, domination and ownership.
Bought to you by clothing store Supre the $18 red and white t.shirt features the slogan: “Santa’s Bitch”. Ten-year-olds are among the target market. The t.shirts are displayed on mannequins at the front of the store.
The elves have been shelved and replaced with subservient bitches who just love to be degraded.
Let’s look at common understanding of the word bitch. Among the definitions in urban dictionary we find:
“Modern-day servant; A person who performs tasks for another, usually degrading in status.”
“The subservient person in a sexual relationship (or a term for a servant).”
“Woman who for one reason or another deserves a good bitch-slap.”
Melissa Farley, a contributor to Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls, was spot on when she wrote:
“Trained by popular western culture, girls learn to present a hypersexualised, prostitute-like version of themselves to the world”.
Danielle, who complained at a Westfield store in Victoria, gave a revealing depiction of the way consumer complaints are treated:
“I spoke to the store manager, who said she couldn’t remove them from sale…I spoke with the Centre Management of Westfield Geelong, who said all complaints about a store and their products are taken seriously, filed and referred to when looking to renew the lease of the retailer”
“Taken seriously and filed”. That would make a great book title. Then dusted off sometime down the track when the lease comes up for renewal – what, in a year? Two years? If that’s serious, how do management respond when they don’t care?
Call Marketing Manager of Supre, Brooke Ravey and let her know what you think of the t.shirts (and tell her you won’t be shopping at Supre and neither will your friends.)
Her number is 02 8596 8400.
Also email H.R Manager Karen Hermann, khermann@supre.com.au
33 Responses
My call to Brooke Ravey will be going through upon responding now as I have been appalled at these T-shirts, but particularly watching as girls ask each other whether or not they should get them and weighing up whether it be worth it just for the attraction factor of their male peers … this indicates to me that the girls KNOW they are inherently WRONG, but still feel pressured to purchase.
What are we doing women? How an women let this happen? Didn’t the women who went before us work for so many years to demand that girls and women should be respected and not treated as subservient, good-for-nothing much slaves?…
Shame, shame, shame on you women in the Supre Marketing department!!!
Disgusting!
I just shared this with my 4 sisters and 2 brothers (happy topic for conversation at our christmas celebrations). All of them and there partners are lining up to email Supre and express their disgust! We’ll all forget ever shopping there again – we want to protect our children and nieces from the kind of world that thinks that is acceptable.
And to think i thought that Supre’s biggest problem was just poor quality fabric and fluro, fluro, fluro! We need a group of women willing to show up at their head office and deliver a message of our own.
Did you see the Pole dancing one? It was something like, “Santa’s little pole dancer.” They are selling these to teenie boppers what are they thinking?
Thanks Melinda – shall get on the phone to Supre. With a brand new baby grand daughter I’m a motivated and mobilised nanna!
they need a new shirt for me to purchase….”Santa’s p*ssed off mother.” I need something to wear when I confront the managers.
Just posted on Enlighten’s Facebook page too.
The standard we walk past is the standard we set – we all need to act on this. Placing calls as we speak.
It is like we constantly have to resist these horrible stereotypes being applied to not only women, but now girls as well. Labelling them as “bitches” …”porn stars”…”pole dancers.” These labels combined with the sexual, passive poses of models – shown everywhere – with vacant, no thought looks on their faces are creating a dangerous culture for girls to grow up in. Did it every occur to these people that girls and women do not exist to satisfy the sexual needs of men? On a side note, why are passive, tired looking, and vacant facial expressions considered sexy?
And then there are people who find shirts like these – including the cotton on shirts for babies – “funny.” Many people who hold this view do not have children, it doesn’t affect them personally, so they don’t get it. These same people will say it’s the “parents responsibility” to “educate” their children. Yes, it’s my job to “educate” my little children about pole dancing, male sexual dysfunction and the meaning of the word “bitch.”
Melinda L – I will happily join you. =)
I’m going to call head office tomorrow. I’ll encourage other people to do so as well!
Okay, so I sent a ranty email. Ha.
Hi Karen,
I’m a consumer. I’m 20 years old. As a teenager I shopped at Supre. I bought tank tops, sometimes leggings and occasionally other clothes at Supre up until recently. I used to buy clothes for friends’ sisters and older friends’ children at Supre. I will no longer be doing any of this.
The slogans on many of the t-shits sold at Supre are disgusting, derogatory and downright tasteless. When I was younger (around 13-15), shopping at Supre was a rite of passage. A chance go out with friends, go shopping. It felt like we were ‘grown up’. We’d go to Supre, buy some cute tops and come home. Our mothers wouldn’t be concerned about what we were going to purchase, because while the clothes were cheap and poorly made; the slogans were not offensive.
I’m not a mother. But I can assure you that when I am, my daughters will not be allowed anywhere near Supre. Especially the “Santa’s Bitch” t-shirts. I’m asking Supre to remove these tops (although by the time this email is acted upon, it will have very little relevence, I’m sure), to not sell them next year (which does not give the company license to come up with other shirts with even more vulgar slogans) and to remove other offensive t-shirts available in stores. I shouldn’t have to spell out which ones these are. You should have the good common sense to know yourselves. Although, given they are available in stores, perhaps I do need to spell this out, because one would assume that a basic respect for women, and some common sense would prevent these types of clothing being manufactured in the first place.
Many Thanks,
Noelle XXXXXXXX.
Sister, friend, no-longer supre customer and really quite irate
Dear Ms Hermann,
I have just read that the t-shirts with a slogan “santas bitch” are aimed for 10 year olds –
Recently I had a terrible ordeal over trying to get my money back from two of your shoddy garments and was accused of washing them in bleach – then I hear this on Facebook –
Your ethics are as equal to Telstra – uncaring and out to gain a quick dollar – I hope the money that your company is earning is worth sacrificing your companies name.
Good luck in the future Supre – With your customer service at a disgraceful low and slogans such as these sooner or later you will need it.
Fantastic Noelle. Love it.
When I called Ms Brooke she said that essentially the ‘Sales’ of these items outweighed their concerns!!!!??
Yes, well, Slavery and Human Trafficking are very profittable too but does she think that the income outweighs the morality in those cases???
In her words … “it’s a bit of a Love/ Hate situation” … “these t-shirts are the 2nd highest grossing” …
I thought I’d throw her a bone … give her an out …
But when asked what “love” and positive messages Supre presented on their t-shirts, all Brooke had to say was “I don’t have the authority to tell you that.”
Isn’t knowing your product part of being a marketing manager???!!!
Well – apparently she’s not the right person to be speaking with but has “received MANY complaints” which “wouldn’t stop us selling them…but we’re happy to continue taking calls.”
At my next few questions, Brooke suddenly became a mere “work experience girl!!”
So – I’m looking forward to receiving my email from whoever is really in charge (name could not be revealed…)
Alright, here is my letter:
Dear Karen,
The “Santa’s Bitch” t-shirts cross the line. Your market is girls and teenagers. Supre must be a fairly large company so one wonders how so many people can come together and make such a stupid decision to sell degrading shirts to young girls.
How would you feel if I referred to you as “Supre’s Bitch?” Presumably you would have no problem with it, because you are quite happy with labeling girls and young women with this term, by the fact that you are selling these t-shirts.
I used to think that Supre’s biggest problem was poor quality fabrics and excessive fluro, but apparently it is much worse than that. I have an 11 year old daughter who I will never allow to shop at your store. I will be telling everybody I know to find an alternative place to shop for their girls and to avoid stores like yours that degrade our daughters.
In case you’ve been on another planet for the last year or two, the sexualisation of girls has become a mainstream issue. I suggest that Supre sit up and take notice, because people are not going to tolerate this anymore.
Melinda Liszewski
There was also ‘North Pole dancer’ which I thought was exceptionally stylist! NOT! I got busted taking a photo of this one by some 14 year old in Lyra and fluro singlet!
I did emaiI Supre and got this standard response (many other did also).
“Thank you for your email. SUPRÉ have taken this information into
consideration and will rectify the issue.
SUPRÉ had no intention to be offensive and demeaning the results of
these t-shirts have actually been the best seller for the company over this period. However we are taking the necessary action to rectify for our customers benefits.”
Can anyone confirm that they have been taken out of all stores? (I really cant be bothered to snoop and have another encounter with 14- year- old – lycra- girl again!)
I’m about to go shopping Deb, I will have a look at the Supre at Chermside.
So the shirts have been a best seller? So what? Of course kids are going to be attracted to something shocking and controversial. But they don’t necessarily know the hidden agenda or the meaning behind it, which is why the GROUP OF ADULTS that would have had to approve these shirts, should know better.
This is what I wrote..
Keep sending them girls!!!
_________________________________
Good Afternoon,
Supre’ is one of the leading teen fashion labels in Australia. This gives you alot of power in trends. This power comes with alot of responsibility. A responsibility you seem to abuse.
Can’t you afford real designers??
What a genius! Thinking up Santa’s little pole dancer/Santa’s Bitch..
Do you know in asia and india this “joke” is reality and little girls are sold to be someone’s bitch?!
Sexualisation of young girls for profit = prostitution!!! I don’t care whether your selling it in Australia or Asia?!
Do you get that??
Does that sink into your head.. into your heart… ?
You are working for a company that does this to little girls!!! Am I taking it too far?? Maybe I don’t want to know what’s next which is why I am taking a stand right now!
This is one customer lost!
Not because of a piece of cotton but because of the implications it creates. What it allows and stands for is wrong.
I hope that every time you see a little girl wearing these t-shirts you think of what boys think of her, think of how degraded she will feel when guys call her a bitch and a slut. Think of this email!!!! This is your responsibility!
From a disgusted, disappointed ex-customer.
-Alexia, 25, Sydney
P.S.
I may have also forwarded this email to ALL of my friends so that they can also write to you for increased affect. Just incase you still don’t get it.
Whilst I am 100% sympathetic to the war on both the sexualisation of children (not just girls but that is for another day) and even more so – supre – I just want to say, that the citing of urbandictionary is out of place here, for everything else in the blog is serious, and you have relied on what is – AT BEST a site infested with internet warriors and trolls – to prove the point.
Also, I don’t like seeing all this anti-male rhetoric coming through. There are guys out there that will use the terms ‘bitch’ and ‘slut’ but I’ll point out – females use them (rage against other girls thanks) and there are guys out there who don’t do it.
Easily fixed. Stay the fuck away from Supre.
Supre at Chermside don’t seem to have them anymore.
I got a response from Karen:
Hello Melinda
Thank you for your email. SUPRÉ have taken this information into consideration and will rectify the issue.
SUPRÉ had no intention to be offensive and demeaning the results of these t-shirts have actually been the best seller for the company over this period. However we are taking the necessary action to rectify for our customers benefits.
Regards Karen
And here is the response i sent her:
Dear Karen,
How on earth can Supre not intend to be offensive and demeaning with a word like “Bitch?” Did you think that labelling somebody a “Bitch” would be uplifting? Your reasoning is as logical as if I was to punch somebody and then say “oh, but I had no intention to hurt you.”
And the t-shirts being a best seller? Of course they would be, that’s why you created them! Supre knows that lots of young people are attracted to things that are edgy and controversial. The problem is Karen, they don’t have a full understanding of the meaning and agenda behind being labelled “Santa’s Bitch” which is why adults like yourself should not EXPLOIT them.
Your response is disappointing. You need to take responsibility for your major error in judgement and apologise rather than gloating about how much money you made.
Melinda Liszewski
Dear Karen,
THESE MUST BE REMOVED IMMEDIATLEY!
I am completley and totally outraged and disgusted at your blatant disregard for morals and integrity this Christmas!
When I was out shopping with my two young children at Blacktown Westpoint shopping centre last week, I happened to walk past Supre which by the way is next to the food court so it is passed by most shoppers, I saw T-shirt out the front of the Supre store, out for all to see, a shirt with ‘SANTA’S BITCH’ in bright red letters on the front. My seven year old daughter who reads everything in sight, asked me what a Bitch is? I went inside and spoke to the young sales girls inside and asked them to speak to the Manager, they nodded at me but said nothing. Obviously they have no input as to how to merchandise your stores but they needed to know how highly offensive and disgusting this item is.
What is wrong with your moral conscience? How can you have the nerve to display such a disgusting shirt where there are young children wandering by and families out doing their Christmas shopping? Shoppers have no way of missing it as it is blantantly displayed out the front, not in the back of the shop which would still be bad enough, but clearly displayed out the very front of your shop! For Supre to even sell a shirt with this message dissapoints me and maddens me. What message are you sending to impressionable young women? To cheapen yourselves and degrade yourselves? Do you place no value on children or young people at all?
As Supre is a shop targeting young women, and as a woman and as a parent, I find this HIGHLY offensive and I know that myself and every other woman in my life will be sending you smiliar letters – I am also contacting A Current Affair and Today Tonight to have them contribute to this very important topic.
Children today face a barrage of offensive and sexualy explicit marketing and as intelligent and caring adults, we must take a stand and try to protect our children from such marketing.
You need to know I will NEVER shop and will also be asking this of the hundreds of people in my world, to NEVER again shop at any Supre store!
Disgusted, Rene Lacey
Melinda, I was so darn happy to hear that society’s voice rose above sales!!!
Is it really true that they have pulled the shirts from all 168 stores? I just sent an email and rang up.
Karen said that the production team are the ones who come up with the slogans on the shirts. I suggested to Karen that Supre should force some compulsory reading for the production team on the devastating effects of much of today’s fashion on the mindsets of young girls…
Em
What a pathetic response. I’ll put my reply to this generic, thoughless garbage up here once I write it:
Hello Noelle
Thank you for your email. SUPRÉ have taken this information into consideration and will rectify the issue.
SUPRÉ had no intention to be offensive and demeaning the results of these t-shirts have actually been the best seller for the company over this period. However we are taking the necessary action to rectify for our customers benefits.
Regards Karen
Oh and I should point out – I was in the Canberra Centre today, and a friend and I covered up the Santa’s Bitch tops for sale – 8 hours ago they were still selling hot at the registers. But we put ballerina skirts over them and put the “North Pole Dancer” tops at the back of the racks 🙂 Took pictures – will have to upload when I’m back in Canberra though.
Obviously Karen is just sending copy and paste responses. I think we should be demanding an apology from Supre and not one that goes “we are sorry if people are offended” but one that says “we are sorry for our dumb decision to sell degrading shirts to young girls.”
From the Geelong Advertiser:
Saucy singlet Claus for concern for some in Geelong
Graham Bicknell
December 21st, 2009
THERE’S Santa’s Little Helper, Santa’s elves and Mrs Santa Claus who probably wouldn’t like being referred to as “Santa’s Bitch.”
But this Christmas, if you shop in any of the myriad Supre stores around Australia you can label yourself “Santa’s Bitch” or give somebody else the title.
The words are in white on a red top and currently retails for $18.
But in these days of political correctness not everybody is amused.
The Geelong Advertiser learned of at least two women who were offended by the tops, one each at the Corio Village and Westfield Supre stores.
Celma Lapthorne, of Manifold Heights, saw the tops in Westfield and said while she didn’t think the wording was “terribly appropriate” for the Yuletide season, wasn’t greatly offended either.
“You see some pretty offensive wording on T-shirts in the mall all the time,” she said.
“I don’t think the Supre shirts are very amusing.”
Emily Bennett, 18, of Torquay, thought the tops were “cool”.
“I can’t see anything wrong with them. If someone bought one for me I’d wear it,” she added.
A spokeswoman for Supre in Sydney said the manufacturer and distributor had not received any complaints about the tops.
You are not going to believe it. (Actually, you probs will!)
I popped onto the Supre website to see if Supre Management had released a press/media statement re ‘Santa’s Bitches.’ etc
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised but the song they are playing on their website is this;
Hotel Room service – Pitbull
The lyrics are this;
“Meet me at the hotel room, forget about your boyfriend and meet me at the hotel room, you can bring your girlfriends and meet me at the hotel room’
What kind of outfit are they running here? Has the company got any sense of responsibility regarding our young ladies?
Actually, don’t answer that….I know the answer.
Not sure they have ever had two letters in the same week from a NARKED off Pom…well they are gunna!
I feel like the head Elf of Santa’s glitches (Not to be mistaken with Santa’s Bitches!)
Great work Melinda and ladies. I’m currently in the States on holidays, awesome to see you mobilising women to stand up to this stuff.
Supre gets skankier and skankier and tighter and tighter nearly every week, as a part of the “new fashion”.
Me and my friends dont wanna shop there anymore!!
Kelsey R (13)
-EX customer.
I personally think that supre’ is makes girls feel terrible about themselves. There shirts are to tight, and there skirts and shorts are way to short. There clothes make girls out to be SKANKS. When you go past there shops it makes you feel so self concious. You see all those pretty and skinny girls, but that isn’t what girls need to look and feel like. Supre’ has expectations that most girls don’t fit in. GIrls should be happy with the way they look and not have those high expectations!!!!!!!!!
P.S I am 14, I love fashion and awsome styles, but to me Supre’ isn’t about fashion its about fitting in to a certain stereotype.
Hannah
Hannah and Kelsey,
I remember feeling exactly the same way when I was younger. I used to want to fit into these clothes and look “just like them” you know, the skinny girls who appeared to have it all. (note: some people might be naturally thin, but not everybody is and it is unhealthy for all of us to try and look the same) It affected me for many years, i always felt bad about myself and desperately wanted to fit in.
As you say Hannah, “Supre has expectations that most girls don’t fit in.” Wouldn’t it be great if clothing manufacturers made clothes *for us* rather than us having to remake our bodies for these clothes?
I’m impressed with your insight. Stay connected with other girls and women who will encourage you and remember to encourage others too. Girls like you, can change the world for the better.
Melinda Liszewski
Well I was in Belconnen (Canberra) and the Santa’s bitch tops were no where to be seen and the North Pole Dancer words had been covered with a belt and a skirt. There was one lone hanging Santa’s bitch top – which was removed within half an hour of me walking past and loudly remarking how highly inappropriate it was.
Think this is a win ladies?
Merry Christmas 🙂
Okay, so I sent this in reply to her copy/paste.
Hi Karen,
I’m disappointed in your response, to say the least. To me it feels as if that’s a copy/paste reply. Although on Christmas eve I was glad to see that these disgusting sloganed t-shirts had been removed from sale – at least in your Belconnen, ACT store. Please confirm whether or not this is true. I’m still beyond disappointed that it was manufactured in the first place.
You say you had no intention to be offensive? I find that difficult to believe, but in the spirit of Christmas (something Supre appears to have forgotten) I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. I trust you were only trying to be exploitative of our young women, rather than both offensive and exploitative. What makes it worse is that Supre’s not just doing the garden variety exploitation – it’s doing the sexual exploitation of children. If t-shirts were to be rated (ie. G, PG, M, MA, R) I hardly think your shirts would be appropriate for your target age. Think about it.
I’ve worked in retail for many years. I’m aware that a business’s primary motivation and concern is profit margins and KPIs. But there’s also a new ‘thing’ which is becoming more and more popular. It’s called Corporate Social Responsibility. This isn’t just selling wrist bands to make money for charity. Nor is it occasionally doing some workplace giving, although that is part of it. It’s also about selling products in a social responsible, do-no-harm way. I get the impression that Supre’s really missing that.
A good start would be getting some decent sizes (I had a friend who had anorexia nervosa and a BMI of 8 – a BMI barely humanly possible and one at which she should have passed away, at age 14. She still fitted into your xxxs tops. They weren’t baggy. Please explain how this size is actually sellable?), some age-appropriate slogans (maybe think “what would this be rated?”) and age-appropriate images. Hmmm. I’m just not liking pictures like that on the “north pole dancer” top. I feel obligated to turn my eyes downward. It looks like something someone would see in an underground nightclub, or on a soft-core-porn film. I’m certainly no prude. But you’re selling this top for 10-16 year olds? (cos hardly anyone else outside of that age group actually fits your clothes). Get a grip. Seriously.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon – hopefully without a copy/paste reply this time.
Thanks,
Noelle Graham
Is someone compiling a list of stores we can shop at and those that are full of this awful shirts. The quality of girls clothing is out the window. My sister told me to go to Target, she is a mother of 8 year twin girls. I noted the shirt she was wearing on Christmas Day had the word wicked written on the top of the back. I guess this is tame compared to what supre is doing.