July 26, 2009
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Baby T-Shirt
Baby clothes with adult themed slogans raised controversy in Australia and are in New Zealand now.
The shirts have slogans like “I’m a tits man,” “The condom broke,” “I’m living proof my mum is easy, and “Mummy likes it on top.”
Moyna Fletcher, a child protection service employee, said “the clothing exploits children for adults’ entertainment. Here is the link: Link
Do you think the t-shirts exploit children for adult entertainment?
Comments (107)
LoL Probably but some are pretty damn funny.
Uhhh…that’s pretty fucking bad.
Yep, but it mostly just shows the stupidity of parents.
Yes. But babies suck anyways.
I think it’s just inappropriate. Although the one in the picture made me chuckle.
there may someday be a tax on smiling too…
Yes…but some are worse than others. Regardless, they won’t be on my baby. Even tho the tits one is actually kind of funny if the baby is breastfed.
I think they are funny.. but I do think they are degrading to small children and it’s irresponsible to mess with their innocence by putting crude statements on them like that.
But.. I can’t say I don’t laugh when I see them.
I think it’s incredibly clever and terribly witty. None the less, I wouldn’t put them on my kid if I had one. But, to each his own.
Yep.
And it’s funny.
I myself was rather amused by the tee shirt at cafepress that says “I see my Mommy’s boobies mre times in a day than my Daddy does all year” I’d never dare put it on any of my children however……..
It kinda makes the parents look bad, but it’s funny. Not something I would do, but they make me at least smile.
I don’t think it’s exploitation.
There is no measurable or significant harm to the particular coloring or lettering arrangements of a baby t-shirt. Most infants and toddlers, I ‘reckon, wouldn’t mind.
gross.
Ha, I love it.
Almost as horrifying as the older man making it look like the baby was *ahem* “jerking off” in the movie ‘The Hangover’.
Just wrong. I felt dirty watching that.
It’s stupid- but there’s a lot more stupid stuff that this world does. I would just never do that
it’s funny but it does exploit them. my niece has one that says “if you think i’m cute, you should see my aunt” =]
Yes, and terribly funny.
Yeah, because it shows how the parents feel about the kid…. it’s funny, but not nice.
Everyone exploits everyone else for their own entertainment. It’s the human way.
I like the “I’m a tits man” one. It would be even more interesting if the kid grew up and discovered that he was gay.
it’s funny in a horrible way.
but my future children would NEVER wear something like that. to me it seems like a gag gift for a teenage mother
Inappropriate? Well yeah…
Funny? You better believe it…
they are funny but i think it’s inappropriate
It’s not for the kids entertainment. However I don’t believe it’s is exploiting children.
I think it’s disgusting and stupid on the parents’ part.
The funniest I have ever seen is one that had cartoon sperm complete with sunglasses and the shirt read “Daddy’s Little Squirt”
Yes.
Yes, it IS exploiting children for adult entertainment…
…and I am HIGHLY entertained!
No.
personally i do not think the shirts are a really good idea, but the less crude ones are a bit of a laugh. since i do think the first amendment is a pretty good idea, i don’t think i would get all worked up about any of those shirts either…
who cares! it isnt damaging to the child. perhaps in poor taste but it is funny.i mean what kind of lame are you if u dont laugh at “i am a tits man” on a darling baby. if my definition of exploitation is correct then no..
I think they’re hilarious. And it’s not like the kids can read em to know that they’re being kinda sorta made fun of. lol
it’s funny on other people’s kids (:
yes
funny, but not a thing a parent should do
Its kinda funny like shocking funny. I don’t think I would buy that for my child If I had one, its inappropriate and it makes the parents look bad since its insulting them.
I think it’s just tasteless and inappropriate. I have seen some cute/funny ones, but not enough that I was willing to buy them.
hmmn, seems like a shirt for feeding and such, the ones you really dont mind getting dirty because in some cases, they were dirty to begin with.
yup, oh the poor kids ;X
yes. But it hella funny.
Before my husband died in that tragic hunting accident he had purchased a T shirt for our baby that said “chick magnet.” A few weeks after I buried him it got terrible bleach stains in it and we had to throw it away.
Be blessed!
@polishswede - I agree and that is what the Darwin awards are for!
Wait…
yes, but what else are kids good for, if not to exploit for our entertainment?
What is it with Australia and finding everything inappropriate?
exploit = “to use selfishly for one’s own ends” Many things parents do exploit children for the benefit of adult humor, and yeah these t-shirts are one of the many. Many adults use their babies as sources of cheap entertainment or even almost as little fashion accessories. I don’t think the child is being harmed. Infants that age have no clue what the shirt says or what it means. The harm will come later as the child matures and starts to become aware and if the parent’s don’t soon find their source of entertainment elsewhere.
“Mailman’s Baby”
I do not believe that is anywhere near ‘exploitation’.
It may sometimes be tasteless, but not exploiting.
Well, yeah, they’re hilarious. I see them all the time on CafePress and what not. But I can’t say I’ll be putting any of them on my baby.
Funny, maybe. Inappropriate, yes.
There is nothing funny about it. It is disgusting and shows exactly what is wrong in this world today.
Disgusting and totally inappropriate.
I think these are disgusting and in very poor taste.
funny, not exploitation, but definitely inappropriate.
They’re funny, but very inappropriate.
i don’t think it’s exploiting children.
i do find it funny though.
I don’t think they’re funny; I think they’re just tacky. But fundamentally “wrong”? No. Just utterly devoid of any kind of class, tact or thoughtful humor — which, I guess, fits the majority of low-brow, OMG-WILL-FARRELL-IS-A-GENIUS “comedy” that so many people seem to find amusing these days. It’s right up there with the “Billy Bob” teeth pacifiers.
I think something like this is way cuter, and funnier, for a baby.
Funny as hell! I bought a couple funny tees for my nephew, and I dont care whos mad about it!
My youngest son has a shirt that says “I’m a boob man”.. and he is! He’s breastfed so it’s fitting. But the one’s stating thing’s about condoms and mom liking it on top are a bit too much, though I don’t know that they fit into the definition of exploitation.
Yes. By definition.
Funny? Maybe. Definitely tasteless.
I like them, but I feel so bad for the kid wearing them. I will never put them on one of my future children.
Ohhmmgee,, that’s funny.
its funny, but its mean. not exactly expoiting children, but i still wouldnt make my kid (just pretend i have one) wear it.
YES!
Not classy at all.
Nothin’ wrong with a little innuendo here and there.
lol, the “i’m a tits man” is genius as a shirt for a baby.
I think they are hilarious! I wouldn’t put my kid in one though, but they are funny. I saw one once that said ‘All Daddy wanted was a blowjob’. Isn’t there a website that is nothing but those shirts ?
@Pawleeen - My daughter has one of those, but it says ‘if you think I’m pretty, you should see my mommy’… i put her in it a lot… lol
I agree with the Fletcher woman you quoted…it’s inappropriate to put shirts like that on infants for adult entertainment.
Very inappropriate and no one with good judgment would put that on their kids… but it does make you laugh in spite of yourself
I would laugh at it, but then the babies must think they are funny looking with everyone laughing at them. What kind of long-term affect will it have on them??? Will those babies grow up to be those horrible people who think they are funny when in fact, they are not funny at all???
Very much so
@abilene_piper_lg - I’m with you on this one.
I think a few of those sound like a little too much, but for the most part I really don’t see any harm in them.
it’s very tasteless and crude; children- especially babies that rely on their parents/ caregiver for EVERYTHING should not be made fun of like that regardless of if they understand it or not.
Yeah, but it’s not like they’re making a profit from it…so I don’t see what the big deal is.
I wouldn’t get one for my kids…
i think its cute
they can’t read
I think some of them are cute. I haven’t put one on my daughter just because i’ve never bought one but im not against it.
I wouldn’t say they exploit children, but they’re certainly not classy, haha.
I wouldn’t get them for my kids, but I wouldn’t condemn someone else for getting them for theirs.
@FlashFosgitt - Well… since it’s in a different country than the US… They don’t necessarily have first amendment rights.
I think Australia and New Zealand have freedom of speech, but it’s probably not in the first amendment to their constitution.
So immoral.
It might be exploitation, but I’ll readily admit I laughed real hard when I saw that kid’s shirt.
yes.
xo
i wouldn’t put them on my kids, but kids can’t even read so i don’t really care.
@AibellFaeire - if a country has something like out first amendment right or not, i still think it is a good idea…
Not really. It’s because that kind of thing is cute on a child.
I don’t think it really matters. I mean the kid can’t read it …
@FlashFosgitt - Oh, freedom of speech applies no matter what it’s called, if that’s what you mean, and it’s certainly one of my favorite ideas. It just might not apply in certain areas, or in some countries there might be restrictions on freedom of speech that don’t apply in America.
Tee Shirts Rock The Road
They probably just show what kind of parents the child has. I don’t believe they’re any form of abuse though… or exploitation..
Can’t babies just be … babies? Do they have to wear stupid slogans? They aren’t that innocent for very long, anyway… why start ‘em so young? (I often wonder why our society is so screwed up and I do have my theories … but then I see pics like that and have an even better idea. Oi.)
Nooooo
i think MOYNA ought to get a life !
I think they’re fucking great.
2 : to make use of meanly or unfairly for one’s own advantage
I think it is demeaning..the child has no choice in the matter, and someone is making money by making and selling the shirts. Therefore my answer is yes.
Yes and it made me laugh.
No, I don’t think the T-shirts exploit children. I think they do prove that Moyna Fletcher has a bug the size of a blue whale up her ass, and needs to get a sense of humor.
Don’t ALL cute baby clothes do that, though???
Isn’t that what babies are for?
Its tacky
No I think it’s just to humor the parents…
Exploiting children for adult “entertainment” is hardly anything new, these days. In fact, it’s rampant… and to much worse degrees than this. But this case should not be ignored. The best that can be said for it is that it’s symptomatic of the pop culture’s attitude of children as posters for their agendas and profits. But it also reflects a casual acceptance of that agenda by the parents who allow their children to wear it; perhaps in the immature concept that it’s somehow harmless. Or maybe not! In any case, it not only degrades them as parents with the message, but forces their innocent children to share in that degradation. The primary function of parents is to raise their children in the highest standards of virtue and conduct. If they cannot understand this, they had better learn quickly. It won’t do their kids any good to see such photos of themselves in the family album.
used to be called the best medicine, now it’s called exploitation
They should, but they’re funny.. well some of them.. and if they like putting them on baby’s clothes and make a whole lotta money off it, then why not?
An appreciation of this sort of humor would seem to be inversely proportional to one’s maturity.
It doesn’t exploit them anymore than putting them in your favorite sports team themed baby clothes “exploits” them for your own entertainment. They don’t like that team…they don’t have any concept of anything so really putting them in clothes at all is “exploiting” them for your entertainment. If I put my baby in an Oklahoma State jersey because that’s where I went to college, that’s for my own entertainment, but I guarantee that child protection agent Moyna Fletcher wouldn’t put her nose in my business for that. The child doesn’t know what is on his shirt and won’t know until he’s older and it won’t matter by that time anyway. Sure, the slogans aren’t appropriate, but it’s certainly not worth Moyna Fletcher’s attention or anyone else in the child protection services office.