Although the Christian watchdog group One Million Moms is focused on issues involving television shows, it cannot help but criticise the "Bad A$$" campaign of the specialty discount retailer Rue21.
One Million Moms writes on its website that the company's ads are being displayed in its storefront windows so it's hard to ignore them when families are out shopping.
"Next time you are out shopping, you will get much more than you bargained for and not in a good way. Rue21 is currently posting in BIG letters on the front of their stores: BAD A$$ Sale! This is not something you would want to walk by or visit with your family. To be bombarded with posters featuring foul language while you are shopping is not okay," the group says.
One Million Moms is warning parents that malls, which are typical hang-out places for kids and teens, have retailers that show little regard for curse words being displayed in their windows.
"Rue21 is being unprofessional and irresponsible. Everyone knows that children repeat what they hear and see," it states.
Asked to comment on the criticism, Rue 21 says it sees nothing wrong with its new sale campaign, although the company acknowledges that it's creating quite a buzz. Deanna Tomaselli, the media relations manager for Rue 21, tells Fox Carolina that they are definitely "a Bad A$$ company that delivers fun, fresh and edgy fashion to millions of customers via ecommerce and our 1,200 stores throughout this great nation."
"But for the record, the phrase 'bad ass' means an uncompromising person, which describes our corporate culture and our customers to a T," continues Tomaselli. "We are uncompromising in value, uncompromising in fashion and uncompromising in fun. And on a legal note, the phrase may be slang but it is not profane or indecent; the Federal Government, which does not register indecent or obscene trademarks, has approved dozens of Big Ass and Bad Ass trademarks, including Big Ass Fans and Bad Ass Coffee Company."
