Gag Me….oh no wait, I am already SICK
This is like so cool – now, when I am 16 and pregnant I can rock my bump with Forever 21. And they even have a way hot leatherette diaper bag - I will so be wearing it for back to school with baby…
And now seriously, thank you so much to the fine people who come up with these thoughtless marketing ploys for reminding me that there is a scary epidemic of teen pregnancy in this country. Your bullshit glamorization of teen pregnancy only fuels this lunacy. There is nothing cool about being a 16 year old parent. Shame on you….
UPDATE – 7/13:
According to a scoop from TheGoss.com, Forever 21’s maternity line is sold exclusively in cities across California, Texas, Alaska, Arizona, and Utah — the states with the highest teen pregnancy rates. Coincidence? We think not. We suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. This is, after all, the same establishment that considers anything larger than a size 10 “plus-sized.”
July 6th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
They deserve a good spanking. When my 4 y.o. asks about when is a good time to have a baby I say 30. Not to offend the 20 y.o. moms, but to make it seem like a long, long way.
July 6th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Yikes! Who thought of this and how do they sleep at night?
@Nicole – I couldn’t agree more. I’m 26 now but even for me, 30 (and having babies) still sounds like a long way away!
July 6th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
This is so so gross. Everyone knows that no one over 21 shops at Forever 21. Will they run commercials during 16 & Pregnant? Will Bristol Palin be their spokesmom?
What’s next? Breastfeeding bras at Rave Girl?
July 7th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
You realise that Love 21 is Forever 21′s new line marketed to “older women” (25-40)? And that Love 21 Maternity is a spin-off line from that? You can cease the gagging now.
July 7th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
People over 21 shop there all the time and during my two pregnancies i was always to find stylish trapeze tops and roomy blouses (I’m in my 30s). The clothes can be styled to look appropriate for different ages. There are too few maternity options as is.
July 8th, 2010 at 7:24 am
Jess-
It is fine and great to shop there as an adult – why not? Cute looks and fair pricing are essential to any maternity wardrobe. What I object to is a brand so deeply rooted in marketing to the teen set launching a maternity line. Their primary market is not thirty or even twenty. Their primary market is made up of teens. And no matter how you move the marketing ball around that is who the Forever 21 brand attracts and counts as their biggest customer. And this is where I think they have misfired and acted quite irresponsibly. It is easy to look at market research and see opportunity (“oh yes, women may gravitate toward us for maternity add-ins, let’s test a maternity line”) it is another thing to realize that their brand is aspirational to and influences teens. And that they have a level of responsibility to the teens who fill their cash registers. It does not matter that they have altered the name or made a new mission/marketing plan. They are Forever 21 and they are selling maternity clothing. I think they have misfired.
July 9th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
As someone who works in a high school with a huge teen pregnancy issue—-girls do not need yet another reason to get knocked up. They shop there, and now that there is a line ‘just for them’ what do you think they will surmise? Duh. I can just hear it now.
July 9th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
As Jennifer already pointed out Love 21 is marketed towards the slightly older. Even before that plenty of twenty somethings shopped at Forever 21. My main point in commenting though, is that it feels like you’re saying that making fashionable affordable maternity clothing is bad because it glamorizes teen pregnancy. It’s kind of like the people who think there is no need to make good looking plus sized fashions because it will just encourage more women to get or stay fat. Yes, I have heard that argument before. I don’t think teens will look at the clothes and think “wow,I would really like my belly to get all fat so I could wear that, I should get pregnant.” I think it’s ok for women of all ages to want to look good during their pregnancy. I know the rates of teen pregnancy are on the rise. I realize you don’t want to normalize it in the eyes of teenagers. You probably think their should be some shame involved when it comes to being a teen mother, I don’t. I think by trying to shame the clothing industry, you also shame the people that would potentially wear those clothes. Teenage mothers face a lot of that already. There are problems that arise when becoming a mother too early, those girls will experience it all in time. Judging everyone hasn’t made the levels go any lower, and I don’t think it ever will.
July 9th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Porshi:
Thank you for your reply.
I fully support beautiful, affordable maternity clothes as an option for all women. Take a look at my site – you will get a clear idea of my position of that! Again, I object to a brand that is so entrenched in the lives of teens using the power of their brand in such an irresponsible manner. I am not judging teenage mothers. In fact, I support many orgnaizations including the What to Expect Foundation who focused on helping ALL at-risk mothers including teenage mothers. No my issues is squarely with the abuse of the trust between brand (Forever 21) and their core, target consumer (and yes, I do know that many adults, including me find their way into the store). I am upset that a corporation would wield their power with so little regard for the girls who look to them for inspiration.
July 9th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
I sort of think this is ridiculous too. I shopped at Forever 21, well into my 20s. So you’re saying that anyone under 30 shouldn’t be pregnant? I realize teen pregnancy is a huge issue, but I really don’t think Forever 21 is glamorizing anything of the sort. Also, it looks like the line Love 21 is geared towards an older demographic anyhow, the non-maternity stuff all looks like cheapy Ann Taylor.
July 11th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Forever 21 is not encouraging teen pregnancy. Please. They print John 3:16 on the bottom of their bags. There is nothing racy or “teen-age-y” about the Forever 21 maternity clothes. I would buy some of the items, and I am 30 and a mother of a young boy.
July 13th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
I’m 21. I shop at Forever 21 when I want cheap T-shirts and sunglasses, and probably will continue to do so well into my twenties. I’m not pregnant and I don’t plan on being pregnant for a long time, but plenty of women marry young or – married or not – get pregnant young, whether they plan to or not. Why should they be forced to buy expensive clothing that isn’t age-appropriate and that they will only wear for a few months when they’re already facing the costs of bearing and raising a baby?
As for the unplanned teenaged mother, no matter how the media tries to scare us, no one wants to get pregnant at 16. There’s social stigma. It’s hard to keep up with, say, your position on the track team. It’s hard to raise the baby. And pregnancy changes your body forever. But teen girls do get pregnant, and those teens who choose to go through with the pregnancy deserve to dress like the young women they are. I highly doubt that any teenager is going to decide to become pregnant just so that she can buy the maternity clothes at Forever 21.
July 15th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
As I’m sure you know, there is much more money to be found in clothing expectant women in the late 20 to 30 year old age bracket who possess a partner/husband, a job, and therefore, disposable income.
To my mind, the fact that Forever 21 is opening Love 21 stores in three of the 10 states with the highest teen pregnancy rates doesn’t necessarily mean that they are honing in on the teen pregnancy market (though as a marketer, I’m sure they consider it an added business benefit). In fact, it blatantly ignores the fact that these states represent varied target markets, making them fantastic test markets for any business.
I’ve been a loyal customer of Forever 21 since I was 20. Despite what’s displayed on their advert campaigns, they have continued to grow their looks and collections as part of their customer base has grown-up as evidenced by Love 21, which originally was the name of their “contemporary” (i.e. more mature) line. The line regularly features older (by tween standards a 25 year old is ancient) models wearing clothes with a more polished look.
Last week I noticed several people my age (late 20′s, early 30′s), who were shopping there while on their lunch break. The woman who rang me up was the manager. She was also my age and expecting. If I was expecting, I’d shop at their maternity label because they have brand equity with me.
Your post would have more relevancy if you’d taken the time to also look at news from this from the perspective of a business person as well. And no, I don’t work for Forever 21.
July 20th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
I was a teenage mother – Not by choice! – By ignorance…. That was along time ago…. I do not beleive girls (most girls) will look at clothing and say “hey, I really want to wear that, I think I will get pregnant!” I think as long as Forever 21 does not use Models that look younger than 21 in their ads, and are resposible in their advertising, it should be ok…. There are alot of people over the age of 21 that shop there. Including my 16 year old and 27 year old girls. They have great prices on the basics. Times are hard these days and trying to find clothing at a good price is needed. Maternity clothes at an affordable price is even more needed! You don’t wear it for years on end! After 9 months your ready to burn it! And at Forever 21 prices, you almost can!