What my 6 year old daughter brings back....

[RickM]

Wife and 6 year old daughter are shopping in one of those hotsy-totsy department stores. Daughter is having a conversation with one of those make-up counter women. After a few minutes she runs over to my wife and says " Mommy look what hey gave me for free".......What do you make of it?

[beepbeep]

I think it's a Swedish trademark. (edit: it's not) Somewhat unapropriate though...

[BGCarrera32]

I'd be a little ticked off personally...

[RickM]

I was taken back a bit. Especially since my daughter is into the whole spelling and reading scene now.

French connection, huh....Wonder what it smells like.

[CJFusco]

on a related note, i once came across someone wearing a FCUK t-shirt at a party once. They had no idea what it stood for, they just thought it was funny.

I actually think that's what FC is going for.

[dd74]

Rick: I'm also the father of a six-year-old girl, and I can tell you it would take something close to physical restraint to keep me from approaching whomever gave my kid that perfume sample, and strewning all of it onto the floor.

To say the least, I would be utterly appalled, and would immediately complain to the department store about this. These days, all it takes is one VERY LOUD VOICE to stir up these horrid purveyors of "fashion" to retract these products, or at least give them out to someone older than a minor. Especially if that voice comes from a dad inside a woman's make-up department, you would most definitely be heard. If not, I would not disregard a phone call to an attorney - I mean that.

That's very unnerving: what did your wife say? My wife would pitch a fit. I'd probably turn over a display case to be quite honest. Out here in L.A. you wouldn't believe the crap our daughters and sons are exposed to: lingerie for ten-year-olds, slogans such as what you posted; things of that nature.

For us, it gets even worse. We're in the animation business here, and I swear to you, I can barely let my kid watch cartoons, let alone television in general. The sex and violence in not just cartoons, but TV, is rampid -- and the commercials are even worse. Barbie is pregnant, the video games have no redeeming quality but to blow someone's head off, and then there's the sexually suggestive pre-teen clothing. It does not end, and it's on at all hours on, for example, Cartoon Network. Disney is passable, in at least the worst thing that could happen to a child is they get bombarded by Disney self-promotion - an evil in its own right, I dare say.

Still, you touched a HUGE NERVE with me, that's been bothersome since my daughter began to read and write. The world these days has shown me that no one but us parents care about our children. The others without children will never understand what a parent goes through in hopes of protecting their kids from these forces that surround them. Right now, I'm at the point of telling several parents that their kids can't have "play dates" with my daughter based on how their children want to "kill" things in the house or the back yard.

In Hollywood, the saying is that it's a young person's world, which means that it's not an old person's world. Well I'm starting to believe it's not a parent's world, either.

[RickM]

DD,

You nailed it exactly. This product is meant to play on the F word....cheap-shot marketing. To be honest I'm not sure how my wife reacted as I was in a hurry to get out of the house this morning...I scooped up the sampler package to inspect further at work. I'm debating a trip to the store to speak my mind. And I'm relatively good at getting my point across....believe me.

Regarding what our kids are exposed to...Jeez it's one nasty jungle of crap out there. Recent example: An 11 year old girl being interviewed saying, in a jovial fashion, that giving oral on a boy is what kissing was for her parents in their day. WTF!!!

I used to always say "If you don't like it don't watch it". But this doesn't apply any longer...because it's in every public avenue and at any hour.

Bottom line is teach your kids good values and keep them too busy to get into trouble. It'll probably get worse before it gets better.

[dd74]

I wish you luck. There should be no excuse for whatever it is they "think" they're promoting/peddling...

[arcsine]

I thought it was a cute interesting marketing ploy when I saw a FCUK store front in Vegas. But giving that to my six year old daughter ... that is another wholly inappropriate thing. I would spend some quality in the face of the person responsible, their boss and their boss. Reprehensible.

[island911]

Whats it stand for? . . . f'ing contempt undermining kids.

[Z-man]

Originally posted by dd74
For us, it gets even worse. We're in the animation business here, and I swear to you, I can barely let my kid watch cartoons, let alone television in general. The sex and violence in not just cartoons, but TV, is rampid -- and the commercials are even worse. Barbie is pregnant, the video games have no redeeming quality but to blow someone's head off, and then there's the sexually suggestive pre-teen clothing. It does not end, and it's on at all hours on, for example, Cartoon Network. Disney is passable, in at least the worst thing that could happen to a child is they get bombarded by Disney self-promotion - an evil in its own right, I dare say.

Well said, dd74. While my wife and I have no children, we are very conservative in our world view. As a teacher, my wife is often shocked by the kid's clothing, attitudes, what their parents allow them to watch on TV, what music they listen to...etc. Since when does the label MA-17 on a CD mean that a parent has to buy it for their kid? Don't parents have a clue about such things?

And TV? Don't get me going: used to be that after 9:00pm, the objectionable stuff would come on. Now, there's all sorts of crap throughout the day! It is getting pretty bad out there.

Oh well, there's my dismal thoughts for the day...

-Z.

[DonDavis]

Originally posted by RickM
Recent example: An 11 year old girl being interviewed saying, in a jovial fashion, that giving oral on a boy is what kissing was for her parents in their day. WTF!!!

Remember when Bill Clinton was INSISTING that he "did not have sex with that woman"? See why the Conservatives were having a cow about that? I said it then that the young kids were hearing the LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD say that oral was not sex and we would see real problems in about, oh, 6-10 years when those kids got a little older.

Thanks again Bill. You've left quite the impact on the youth of the world.

No, I'm not saying its all his fault, but I am saying he's a BIG part of the reason the younger generation think oral is not sex.

[Decolliber]

Well, I can afford to be blase because my children are in their 20s now. But I suspect that those pre-pubescent daughters of yours know a lot more than you think they do ...

[dd74]

John C: I bet you're right.

And Don: you bring up a fascinating point about the timing of Bill's admittance that oral isn't sex and that "oral" is the new trend among teen-aged girls in America in lieu of having sex.

I just came back from lunch with some co-workers, and told them about this thread. One co-worker (who is unmarried, no kids), was pretty blase about it, and informed me that "FCUK" is a French company whose been around a long time.

I thought it was a lame excuse (if designed to be an excuse). Write "FCUK" on a slip of paper and present to the average Parisian, and I bet they won't be thinking "fashion."

I think what annoys me is the "FCUK" and "HER." No one can say whomever came up with that marketing slogan was ignorant about how it would be interpreted.

[cstreit]

You know we don't go fer that sorta thang here in the Midwest...

*smacks forehead* "California!"

[dd74]

Well, since most of the people in my company have retail experience, it seems they're all pretty familiar with the brand.

One person suggested the corporate offices of French Connection be contacted. Meanwhile, this person cautions that the "Fcuk Her," and also "Fcuk Him" campaign is very successful. In short, travel into the department store at your and your six-year-old daughter's risk. The campaign ain't disappearing soon.

[dd74]

Nothing knocks aside all youthful (or liberal hankerings) like having children. That is if one is a responsible parent.

I don't know about the Midwest or East Coast, or even elsewhere on the West Coast, but in L.A., adds have been running where an unwatched toddler chases a toy to the edge of a swimming pool, and by body language alone, is ready to jump in the water -- again while being unwatched.

The cut-line under the this image is something to the effect of the parents would understand they couldn't watch the kid because they were busy getting stoned...

Quite a commentary to those who haven't been as conservatized as they need to be.

[dd74]

Originally posted by BillyPilgrim
An interesting correlation, but for better or worse, it has much more to do with a fear of AIDS and pregnancy, and an "easy way out" when a boy wants sex.

Firepower is "easy way out" for dads, too.

[ZAMIRZ]

Being 19 and exposed to the "height of fashion" at parties, gatherings, school events, etc. I totally understand those of you who think fcuk is inappropriate. I recieved an fcuk shirt as a gift once and promptly returned it, because I don't like wearing brand label stuff, much less ones that may be a misspelled inappropriate word. A lot of people here wear that crap and proudly display the fcuk label on the front of their shirt, I personally will stick to my ecko unltd. and banana republic stuff as I hate "making a statement" with my clothes. Rick, if I were you I'd explain to your daughter that it stands for "french connection u.k." and promptly destroy the perfume in its original package.

[JTO]

Man DD! What a deal.
I read through all of the responses to your post. I was glad to see the empathy comig from this board. I too am a parent, now of three (a son was born to me on 11/25, he's my second, not to mention my beautiful daughter who's five) and find myself every time the TV is on, sitting with the remote so I can quickly flip to the Home and Garden Channel in case something nasty comes on. The commercials for movies, even movies for kids, can be really disturbing with gruesome pictures, etc.
I am guilty of sheltering my kids. I am over protective. You know why? I can shelter my kids and protect them for a few years. Soon enough, they will be in this world and seeing the crap. Right now, all I want them to know is peace, health, safety, security, and love. It may sound idealistic, but I have that powr today and I feel its my obligation.

You're doing a good job, all of you.

Troy