Shame On You: Thoughts on a T-shirt

On one of my classic shopping trips a couple weeks ago, I wandered in Five Below. As I was browsing each aisle and then suddenly, I stopped dead in my tracks. What did I see? Well, let’s just say it’s something that can never be unseen.

The above t-shirt.

It’s not the style or the price that I objected to. Take close look at it, and you might see what made my jaw drop right there in public.

Those words. Oh, those words.

I’m not quite sure what the makers of that shirt were thinking when they slapped those words on it. I mean, really? Did they even think twice about it? Sure, it might not be blatantly offensive, but I can’t help but think of the negative message this is sending young women. You know, that a woman must choose between one or the other, that she can never, ever be both. That’s almost like setting them up for failure far too early in life.

I know, I know. Some people may say it’s just a t-shirt and that you shouldn’t read too much into it, but you can’t deny that words have power. Over time, we become our words. Our words become our beliefs. And our beliefs become our actions. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live in a world that holds women to such narrow, rigid and, frankly, old-fashioned standards.

Do you agree, friends? What advice would you have for young women on navigating life in 2015…?