Customers who have stood against porn at Sears count: 22
Last count: 9:00 am 8/9/10
I have enthusiastically recommended Sears for children’s clothing in the past on my blog. However, it’s come to my attention that Sears.com is selling pornography on their website.
Because of my past endorsement, I feel it is my obligation to publicly alert other mommy bloggers that Sears is exploiting women and dealing in pornography.
It should be noted that I accessed the images on Sears’ website, without any warnings or other safety precautions to make sure I wasn’t a child. If my son had been looking for videogames or consoles or even something for the wall of his room, he could have easily stumbled on the images.
What can we do? Well, so far here’s the message I got from Sears:
We strive to provide products that our customers want, and as a result, our customers can currently choose from over 12 million products. Given this broad assortment, we understand that customers may have very strong views on the some of the products we offer. We take our customer’s feedback very seriously and have reviewed the products in question and found that they do not fall outside our marketplace guidelines. We also noted that these products are sold on other competing retail websites. We sincerely appreciate your feedback and want you to know that you have been heard.
To which I replied:
@mySears have I? Have I really been heard? Are you going to remove porn from your site, then? Or just send me another canned response?
No response yet.
We need to make a big stink. We have the power. First, I ask you to pass this along to anyone and everyone. American Family Association is trying to organize a boycott, but I think out Mommy Blogger voices need to be heard as our own faction.
We need to make a stand. Enough is enough!
I have contacted Sears public relations, but no one was answering the phone despite making the call during Sears business hours (8-5). I left a message for the director of public relations requesting a response to the AFA boycott and escalation on Twitter regarding the pornographic images for sale on Sears.com. I left my phone number and email address and I will update if and when I get any response.
So, I am asking you to leave a comment here, in solidarity, to send them a message. When I speak to someone from public relations I intend to direct them to this post – I’m hoping for a huge turnout of outraged moms to show them how many customers they are offending.
Let me know if you will stop shopping at Sears until the images are down, if you are disappointed that the ‘family’ brand would do this for money, and whether you intend to contact Sears on your own.
Second, I would ask you to make at least one contact with Sears. You can call Sears Retail Customer Care at 1-800-549-4505. E-mail public relations director Larry Costello at larry.costello@searshc.com or send him a tweet: http://twitter.com/larrycostello.
Tell Sears you don’t want porn at the same store you buy your kid’s clothes.
I know one woman who told Sears that if the material is still up by the end of the week, she’ll be cancelling her Sears card. And when she calls back to cancel, she’ll reiterate the same message (although I hope Sears does the right thing, and takes these images down.)
See for yourself – but please be warned that the links in this paragraph take you to the actual item Sears is selling. Not safe for work or kids: Posters depicting an orgy, with the caption “Safe sex is hot sex”. (Note: not currently available on site. Did they take it down?) Naked women. Several naked women together. Two women removing each other’s underwear You get the idea – these are not women in bikinis or immodest clothing. Even worse- if you go to the poster section (For The Home – Wall Decor) and type in “models” (a kid might, if he was looking for a poster of a cool model car or airplane) and this is what comes up.
UPDATED 1:20 pm TO ADD RESOURCES:
Culture of Porn Harms Women, Report Finds
The Porn Effect, site dedicated to exposing “the reality of porn for what it is; a weak and whimpering counterfeit of love which is emasculating men, degrading women and destroying marriages.” (Site is very frank)
Great list of resources from Kristen at WeAreTHATFamily
Firedup (2)
Aurora (1)
derpaderp (1)
Kaira (1)
Kathy (1)
Sarah (1)
Vickie (1)
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree this is outrageous that you are able to find this so easily on the Sears’ web site without warning.
A quick search on Amazon.com also resulted in the same type of pornography, also with no warning! This is very disturbing, thanks so much for bringing it to light and demanding a change.
This is NOT pornography. Get over yourself.
Sorry, but it is. They are pics of unclothed adults engaged in private acts designed to titillate. I don’t think every nude ever painted is porn, but when the main purpose is to “turn people on”, or make them want that hot girl in the poster, it is porn.
Where is the link to the Sears/Porn? I do nto see it in this post. But I might be blind. I have to see it first before I send an email to support…
Opps just found it. This is not pornography. Yes, these are naked women. But naked women are not pornography.
Naked women kissing and removing each others underwear in what is clearly meant to be a sexual act while exposing private areas such as chest and buttocks, is pornography.
Sorry. This is NOT porn. Good grief.
the poster of the 2 women “removing their underwear” I agree I wouldn’t let my son hang in his room. But I also know you can’t avoid images like this today. Just watch beer commercials.
I think some of those photos are beautiful. Don’t ever take your kids to Rome — naked pics and statues everywhere. My 5 year old wanted to know why ancient Romans didn’t wear underwear.
As I said before, not every nude is pornography. But what IS porn?
This definition sums it up:
Pornography or porn is the portrayal of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual excitement and erotic satisfaction.
or
Just because the images are more prevalent, doesn’t mean that it’s not porn – explicit material for titallation and excitement. And that’s kind of the point of this – it is TOO common. I’m tired of seeing naked women engaged in bedroom activities in regular retail stores as though it’s perfectly normal to expose private areas and private acts. We need to regain our sense of modesty, privacy, and decency.
From Twitter:
@Milehimama I sent an email via the AFA web site. Hopefully enough of us will respond and effect change.
I received the alert from AFA and viewed the pictures and was rather embarrassed. It’s a shame our society is so numb to the impurity in these pictures. I did send an email to Sears as a concerned customer. I have always been pleased with shopping at Sears due to their modest clothing. I will discontinue my shopping until they change their decision to offer such degrading materials. Thank you for offering this information to us moms.
If pornographic images totally unbecoming of a “family friendly” store is inside their marketing guidelines, I do not wish to know what would fall outside their guidelines.
If this is how desperate and greedy they are for sales and money, will they also tell me whatever they think I want to hear the next time I go in there for a big ticket item? If that’s how canned their responses are, how can I trust them when I have a question? If this is so “harmless”, how about a truthful response from the CEO — would he/she agree to see pornographic material of his own daughter on there? If not, why do it to someone else’s?
After a 16 year relationship, it’s over. Goodbye, Sears.
I will boycott Sears and urge others to also.
I agree the images are porn for want of another word and agree most Sears employees would not want their own children to see the pictures.
The dollar is the bottom line and until we speak up these things will continue to become the norm.
I received the alert from AFA and viewed the pictures and was rather embarrassed by them. It is a shame that our society is so numb to the indecency in these photos. They clearly are something you would see in a Playboy magazine. Why would you not classify that as “Porn”. I, too, sent an email as a concerned customer. I frequently shop at Sears because I like their modesty in clothes. I will stop shopping there until they refrain from selling such garbage. One thing to remember is if you wouldn’t look at something with Jesus sitting next to you, it certainly isn’t something that should be viewed. Thank you for sending out this alert. God bless!
The sad truth is, I don’t want to see the pics to decide if they are porn or not.
I don’t want to see naked women period! Nor do I want to see naked men! It angers me that these images are flashed before my eyes continually! (Billboards, magazines, movies, Internet etc….)
The trouble is, I don’t shop at Sears. I did when my kids were small. They are grown now with kids of their own.
If I threatened to quit doing business, it would be a lie. But, I am on your side!
Our children’s future depends on people like you, willing to stand for what is right.
I agree that society has become numb towards sexually explicit imagery and it is degrading to women! I think this should not be so accessible on Sears site for any child with computer skills to come across.
I agree that this is really appalling. Just because some of the pictures are in a more Victorian style does not make it art, and at least one image I clicked on was outright modern porn. We won’t be buying anything from Sears until and unless you let us know that this has been taken care of.
Finding it interesting that some of your commenters don’t think this is porn.
Perhaps if it doesn’t show the sex act ‘in flagrante’ and close up it’s not porn.
We are mostly so innured to sexual images these days that we do not recognise what porn is anymore.
I’ve been to Rome. The art is beautiful. There are statues of naked women, and images of naked women. It is not designed to create a feeling of ‘sexiness’ or arousal.
The definition of porn is “images designed to highten sexual pleasure or cause arousal.”
The images on these links are porn. Just because the picts are black and white and sepia meant to look old (some of them are old) does not mean they are “old, not porn”. Porn has been around for hundreds of years, and THIS is pornography. Period. Maybe it does not cause YOU to be aroused, but I assure you, if your son looked at the image of the women removing the clothing, he would be aroused. You cannot say that about art in Rome.
I am a photographer, and I have studied art. I have no objection to art, even photographs that tastefully show the human body.
The clear message of the image of the women removing clothing is to arouse the viewer sexually.
The art of naked women in Rome show nothing of the sort.
I’m sad that you or anyone else cannot tell the difference in art and porn.
To the mother of the son whom she thinks she cannot protect: It’s your job. Turn off the tv. Teach him purity. Stand up against this garbage. And keep him away from our daughters until he learns the difference between art and porn.
I, too, find it interesting that some of the first comments reflect a “not porn” mindset. I saw these images and just felt an immense sense of dread. We *just* bought our new washer/dryer and TV from Sears because we have ALWAYS bought our major appliances and huge purchase (think sewing machine, vacuum, tv’s, DVD players) from Sears because of their quality of customer service, warranty protection programs, etc.
Thanks for being in the fight with us! Hope Sears takes this crud down.
I have sent Larry an e-mail, and tweeted you article Thank you for prompting me to do so. I will stop shopping at Sears until they stop all of this garbage
Don’t forget that Lands’ End and K-Mart are also sears companies.
I sent an email to the address provided. I will let you know when/if I recieve any response.
Thank you for sharing this. I had already responded to the AFA request to contact Sears. We MUST speak out NOW!
The links that you posted to the Sears website did not work on my computer (I got a “task aborted” error message followed by a “could not load this website”–maybe it’s that I’m on Explorer?).
Instead I went to Sears Home and Garden page and ran the search you suggested (“models”). Definitely porn. About the bottom half of the first page was advertising, ahem, a certain kind of dvd. We’re not talking about posters, people! I had to go to page two to find anything having to do with model airplanes and the like.
Very surprising. If I wanted to find that kind of thing to buy, I think Sears would be about the last place I’d think look. Other than the public library, that is. I’m surprised they have a market for it. Unfortunate.
I called the Sears Customer Care number, and the fellow who answered the phone said to wait a minute, he came back about three minutes later, and read verbatim the official statement. When I asked was that all? he said that was the response they were told to give. Then he did a surprising thing, he gave me the address of the CEO to mail him a letter.
Bruce Johnson, CEO
3333 Beverly Rd
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
I agree, these are pornography. Just because we live in a time when our sensibilities are desensitized because we have been exposed to such ridiculous amounts of obscenities doesn’t mean when you come across 1800′s pornography you SHOULDN’T be offended by it. They created it for the same purposes it is produced for today – sexual gratification. Take a close look at your personal sensibility meter and raise the bar.
By the way, I don’t let my kids watch beer commercials – I don’t let my kids watch TV…period. This country has gone off the scale with the ridiculous amounts of offensive nonsense portrayed as normal, but that doesn’t mean I and my family have to. We are called to a higher purpose. Set your standards high and don’t be afraid to be different.
Thanks for calling it like it is.
I am so disgusted with Sears and will not shop there. I don’t have to view the sites. I trust milehimama and AFA.
An email I received:
Lisa,
We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the images. You have our full support
in regards to this matter. I guarantee you that we will not be even get close to
SEARS stores and we will let them know what we think about this matter. We will
close our accounts with them regardless since they have no common sense and it
seems that they will do anything to make a dollar, they went even as far as
selling their souls.
regards
Andrea and Mo
Another email I received:
Dear Lisa,
I just sent an email to Mr. Costello at Sears customer service telling him we will discontinue shopping at Sears if these images are not removed from sale. In response to your comments about people not thinking they are pornography, perhaps people are only clicking on the first links of the “old fashioned” photos. If they went to all the links, I can’t imagine there would be a second thought. Maybe you could change the order on your post… just a thought.
Thanks for making us aware of this.
I agree it is porn. Maybe some of the images are “old porn” (the victorian images) but porn none the less. It is worse than the beer commercials on TV as someone compared it too. But the beer commercials and other TV shows have gotten so bad that we recently made a family decision to remove TV from our home. If Sears is making alot of money off the sale of these products it will be hard to get them to remove it, but at the very least they should know they will lose customers over it.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention! One thing I have learned while fighting pornography is that it is sometimes better to use the term “family friendly” when talking to store owners.
As you can see from the above comments, everyone has a different definition of pornography. But most people want to protect children. We’ve had great results asking store owners to cover magazines that are not “family friendly”, so that our children will not be exposed to material that is inappropriate. They are always happy to comply.
Hope that helps.
Nope, not porn. Not great taste, but not porn. They have every right to sell it, you have every right not to shop there.
Who wins?
The pics are porn! look at the poses, and the names of the pics “the pearel neacklace” come on. the may be 1950′s porn, but porn just the same. I dont shop at sears (more of a goodwill/yardsale gal myself) but i wont start anytime soon!
don’t give up. keep it going. i’d resend the response again.
Just looked at the pictures, and yes, definitely pornographic. The “sexy model” series especially can in no way be considered art.
I bet you wish george bush was still president now
I WORK FOR SEARS AND I’M THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED THAT THEY ARE SELLING THIS STUFF. I HAVE ALREADY CONTACTED MY PARENTS AND TOLD THEM TO CANCEL THEIR CHARGE CARDS. I PERSONALLY HATE THIS BECAUSE ME AND MY FAMILY HAVE BEEN HURT DEEPLY BY THIS STUFF. I CONTACTED SEARS THEY IN ESSENCE TOLD ME WE DON’T CARE SAME MESSAGE YOU GOT. UNTIL THE PICTURES ARE REMOVED I WILL NOT USE.
* SEARS
* KMART
* LANDS END
* A&E FACTORY SERVICE
I WILL TAKE MY MONEY ELSEWHERE. AND YES OTHER COMPANIES ARE SELLING THE SAME STUFF, BUT I’M MAD BECAUSE THIS IS THE COMPANY I WORK FOR.