This is wrong on so many levels: A company called What Would Your Mother Do? is selling young teens boy-short panties emblazoned with catchphrases like “Not Tonight” and “Dream On.” The thinking? That the underwear will promote abstinence. Huh?
Says the site:
[W]hy not help our teens make wise choices (whatever that may be for them) while they navigate the dating scene?We created a line of underwear to use as conversation starters to help reinforce family morals as they relate to relationships and dating. One part Victorian (who are we kidding?), three parts frisky, these adorable undies put new meaning to saying it loud and proud.
Because everyone knows that super-cute pink panties with catchphrases on them are like kryptonite to teenage boys! Not only is the product completely counterproductive, but products like this reinforce two false ideas:
False notion #1: When a girl says no, she’s just teasing you — she really means yes.
False notion #2: The onus is on the girl to say no: Boys are wolves, and girls are to be the sexual gatekeepers who refuse them.
CNN.com recently ran an editorial that calls upon parents to stop dressing their daughters like tramps. Perhaps the makers of these underwear should heed that advice: Stop faux-sexualizing your daughters and arm them with information about sexual choices — not novelty underwear.
