Over the weekend we received an email that had a rather disturbing attachment of a "Happy Belated Birthday" card being sold at Target (pictured below). The front of the card read "I'm too PRITTY to do math!" with a portrayal of a blonde cartoon-like female holding what appears to be a math test that received a grade of an F. Flipping open the card one reads, "...Or remember your birthday!" "Happy Belated Birthday"
Now I cant help but ask... what message does this send out oh behalf of females, especially young female students, and what was Target thinking allowing this card to be sold in their stores? As a female I cant help but feel degraded and disrespected.
It is hard enough to teach young women that beauty isnt everything. Why would we want to encourage the idea that they have to play dumb in order to be popular. The card not only degrades women and their self worth but it makes us look stupid and forgetful
One blogger posted this regarding the "I'm too pretty to do math" magnets that were being sold though Forever 21... "So the message to girls is that, first, math is something to be avoided if possible; only girls who aren’t pretty enough to get out of it would bother to take it seriously. And, second, being attractive should get you out of doing things you might find difficult or unpleasant.
There do not appear to be “I’m too handsome to do math” or, say, “I’m too pretty to do English literature” versions, because the magnet relies on two notions that preclude those options: that girls, specifically, either can’t or don’t want to master difficult academic subjects, and that math is inherently, and almost uniquely, difficult to learn — a cultural trope my friends who teach math often find exasperating, as it means they have to battle years of socialization that teaches students to be intimidated and convinced they’re likely to fail before they even start." After a fair amount of enraged individuals, Forever 21 pulled the magnets from the store and apologized to customers.
A concerned parent wrote in her blog back when J.C. Penny sold a sweatshirt with a similar message 'I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me', "It is disrespectful to their predominantly female customers and perpetulating stereotype that’s already running rampant. There’s absolutely no justification for equating one’s appearance with one’s ability — not even a “joke.” With enough complaints J.C. Penny pulled the sweatshirt and apologized.
Help advocate against this type of gender stereotyping in the marketplace and call or email target with your comments and concerns regarding this card and its removal from the shelves.
or call Target: 1-800-440-0680
