I Think I See a JC Penney Purchase in My Very Near Future
In case you hadn’t heard, JC Penney recently hired America’s sweetheart – and everyone’s fave dance partner – Ellen Degeneres to appear in a national advertising campaign.
Although I almost never get to watch her show because it’s on at a time when I am at work, I am a big Ellen fan in general, so just by hiring Ellen, JC Penney might have registered on my retail radar in a way it hasn’t in years.
So yes, I am an Ellen Degeneres fan, like millions of other people.
But see, here’s the thing…apparently, Ellen Degeneres is ….GAY!
(I know! What a shocker, right?)
And because she’s gay, when this group called One Million Moms (which is actually just a front for the American Family Association) found out about her new role with JC Penney, the organization attempted to start a national campaign to get JC Penney to fire her (because, y’know, everyone who appears in national advertising should obviously be pre-vetted by Phyllis Schlafly, Michelle Bachmann or Gladys Kravitz.)
I say “attempted” to start a national campaign because the AFA’s lame call to action hasn’t gone quite the way they planned. In fact, instead of being angry at JC Penney for hiring Ellen, it appears that a wide variety of Americans are now repulsed by AFA’s misguided bigotry. And when I say “wide variety,” I mean it; when you’ve got Bill O’Reilly defending Ellen DeGeneres and the company that hired her, AFA has got to realize they’ve hit a sour note in their efforts to rally their culture army of anti-gay-people-shopper-warriors.
To JC Penney’s credit, the company has not in any way backed away from their new relationship with Ellen as this issue heated up over the last week. In fact, the company has done the exact opposite. They’ve come out with strong statements of confidence in their selection of Ellen as their new brand spokesperson.
And that sort of clear, unwavering statement of the company’s values is so wonderfully rare in mainstream corporate America that it really seems to have resonated with people. I know it has with me. It makes me want to buy something at JC Penney to show my appreciation for the kind of company it apparently is. I want to give this company my business.
Apparently, I am not alone in my sudden inclination to start shopping at JC Penney. According to my pal TGP (AKA: Sweetney), a grassroots-driven JC Penney “shop-in” will now be happening this weekend at JC Penney stores all over the country. She explains the plan thusly:
We’re very proud of JCPenney for standing up to One Million Moms and retaining Ellen Degeneres as its spokesperson. And we’re going to put our money where our mouths are by organizing a “Shop-In” on Sunday, February 12.
Here’s the deal: 1) Go to JCP (or JCP online) on Sunday. 2) Shop. 3) Post a photo of yourself on Twitter/Facebook/Your blog/Whatever shopping at JCP, and add the hashtag #jcpshopin. That’s all there is to it!
Well done, JCPenney!
I hope that lots of people – all kinds of people – show JC Penney a little retail love in the next few days. I myself may not make it into a store this weekend, and I am not much of a “shop in” or “sit in” or “occupy” kind of protester; it’s just not my own style. But I can guarantee you that I will be quietly spending some money with this company in the weeks and months ahead, letting them know that I appreciate and support a company with a clear set of ethics and values, as well as excellent taste in hiring spokespeople to represent their brand.
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How about you? Planning to participate in the JC Penney “shop in” this weekend? Or will you be shopping there more frequently in the future? Or if you are a customer to whom AFA’s “no gay spokespeople” message appeals, I’d love to hear your opinion as well.
WARNING: I welcome vigorous, well-reasoned debate on this issue. We can disagree, and even disagree strongly. But if in my PERSONAL JUDGMENT, any comments in the conversation become rude, mean,threatening, abusive, or off-topic, I will delete them/ not publish them.
Now, let’s do that thing we Americans do so well, and talk about this thing in the comments below.
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READ MORE FROM KATIE OVER AT MAMAPUNDIT (HER PERSONAL BLOG)
ok I am going to have to use my JC Penney charge, but for sure will be buying something, I love and support Ellen and dislike small minded people, people should be allowed to be who they are, if you are not hurting anyone else physically then I am good with you whoever you are!!
Never really shopped there & I probably won’t start anytime soon. This whole debate doesn’t really matter to me one way or the other. Unless there are sales and incentives for this Sunday sounds like a good way for JCPenny to get some sales & publicity at the shoppers expense.
OMG Ellen is gay?? Oh no the world is going to end!!! J C Penny is looking to a future of tolerance? Oh no the world is going to end!!!
She is gay, good for her ( I mean not disrespect, I really mean good for her). I love Ellen and watch her show whenever my daughter lets me (she 6 1/2 months). Good for JC Penny for giving a new definition of what a family is. A family is a group of people, related or not by blood, who form a type of bond that is unbreakable.
I did just shop at JC today and I didn’t even know that I was fighting against a boycott. I am glad that I know now. I love the new prices.
I love JCPenney , and love Ellen !! I will be picking up some curtains tomorrow .
If I could ask the group one million moms what would happen if on of them had a kid grow up to be gay ?? Hmmm what are the odds that out of one million moms that would happen ??? I would also like to comment to the AFA that if they don’t like gay ppl maybe they should stop having gay children …I could be wrong but most kids are born to straight families . Most gay ppl were indeed someone baby at one point…Just saying..
It is amazing to me that there is such hatred and bigotry in our world today. I wonder if they could even imagine how much good could be accomplished if they used all of the energy they are using to spread their hatred and put it towards making our world a better place, where there is love and acceptance, where there are manners and respect and while I am not a religious person, I am spiritual and believe there is something greater than us. However, the God or Jesus that they profess to follow most certainly does not condone hatred, but instead encourages love and embracing…I wonder if they get that. So sad that they are teaching their children to hate…I certainly hope their children will grow up more enlightened than their parents are.
I will definately be shopping online at JCP.com tomorrow!! I love the store and Ellen so I will definately shop there more in the future as well. I think it is truely very sad that some ignorant people tried to get her fired just because she is gay. I mean HELLO she has been a spokesmodel for covergirl for awhile now and I bet those people don’t care about that so why get so angry at JCP for hiring her?? She is obviously a respected and well-loved person in the entertainment industry and she deserves all the support we can give her. I think it is so sad that by 2012 after this country has overcome so much that there are still people out there with so much hate in their hearts. NOBODY should be discriminated against for any reason, especially not for who they love, every single person is capable of loving another so nobody should get mad at them for doing so. I am very proud of JCP for sticking by Ellen, it shows they care and they won’t let a few bullies change their minds. I hope alot of people will go out to JCP or like me go online and show their support of the company and their wonderful new spokesperson!!!
All I really want to say is that no one should be judged in this life there is time and place set aside for each person. These “pro-family” groups are just a bunch busy bodies with to much time on thirty hands. You are suppose to love thy nieghbor as you love yourself and without judgement. It shouldn’t matter the color of third skin, religion, or SEXUAL orientation. Love them for the person they are. I find it very sad I hear ppl preach that all the time but then d emonstrate the opposite.
I do not shop pennys very often and I doubt that will change because of all of this. But I am a fan of Ellen. She has a beautiful soul and is a wonderful person..it has nothing to do with if she is gay or not. Ppl should try looking at ppl as ppl and black,white,Asian,gay,straight,christain,Jew whatever….at the end of the day we are the same.
Hope …you are backing away from a very direct question. Again, speaking volumes but in no way is that any sort of high road. If you believe that it is wrong for someone to follow the Word of God, say so and make your case. That would be the high road.
My beliefs about gay sex can in no way be construed as “bigoted” if you are using the actual definition of the word. Stating that a particular action or behavior is wrong renders no judgement upon the person who commits the action or behavior. It is not hateful in any shape, fashion or form. Why is that so hard to understand? Or do you equate a person’s behavior with their worth, thus believing that everyone else does so as well?
I will not back down from my belief in the Word of God, in which He declares that, among many other behaviors, gay sex is a sin. (Romans 1:18-32) Not only that, but it is also a sin to condone others in sin. On the other hand, I am not demanding that you or anyone hold to the same beliefs at all. That is between you and God – you can argue that He is wrong when you meet Him. I just find it very interesting that you insist on calling me a bigot because of my beliefs, which is the very definition of bigotry.
As a Christian, let me be clear: Lissa & her ilk DO NOT SPEAK FOR US ALL. I am ashamed that the label “Christian” evokes the kind of fundamentalist literalism that makes ANY of God’s children feel judged and condemned, despite promises to “hate the sin, not the sinner.” That attitude makes my skin crawl. Also, I love, tolerate, and celebrate JCP, Ellen, & Portia. God does, too.
I shopped Penney’s plenty when I had a little boy. Their stuff was practical, durable and neither fashionable nor unfashionable. Which is how I liked to dress my little boy — just kind of plain. I wanted people to see him not his Corporate Logo clothing. BTW if you haven’t been to Penney’s in years, it has uptodate clothing, just not the super-hot trendy or pricey brands. It was a good place to buy his pjs, socks and underwear or a winter coat or sweatpants. Basics. We didn’t have Target in our area until he was about 10 or 11 so I didn’t have that option. Penney’s was my go-to place for basics if the consignment shops didn’t have anything good. Like many other posters, I don’t much care who endorses what and what people say about it. I rarely watch TV and miss a lot of pop culture stuff as a result. Which is fine. I can make choices based on other inputs.
However, I do support gay rights and abhor anti-gay politics. Just mind yer own beeswax if you don’t like it. Don’t want to marry another woman? Than don’t.
@Lissa. I wanted to respond to your question about thermography. (I am sorry this is off topic, katie, I hope you still publish this). I do not have at my fingertips the data I have about it, but it doesn’t really matter, because my biggest source is no, not an “automatic response to anything that says mammograms ain’t all that”. My source is experience, as I stated in the previous share, working in this field for many many years. Seeing the women come in, who relied on thermography, and now have breast cancer. Seeing the actual thermograms, and what they are not showing. I am sorry for your false positive. by that do you mean that the mammogram showed the doctors something they felt needed to be biopsied, and when it was biopsied it ended up being benign? How wonderful for you. The biopsy would be the definite test, of course, and the radiologists I work with tell patients they are suggesting a biopsy because an area looks suspicious, but until the tissue is sampled and run through pathology, they don’t know for sure. Gratefully for many patients, sometimes the suspicious area is not cancer. I am also sorry that you are having a health issue and don’t feel you are getting help from physicians. I am not so cynical about the medical field, again, I guess because I work in it. I see doctors and nurses and others who work very hard for yes, the good of the patient. I am one of those people. I guess one’s perspective and thoughts on things is tied to our experiences. Take good care.
America’s Sweetheart? A 50ish lesbian? Really? I think that seems like a bit of a generous description. Anyways, I am curious to see how this plays out. I have an aunt who forwards on those OMM emails, some I get the outrage (like racy TV shows), but the Ellen one I didn’t get. It would not encourage or discourage me from shopping there. Actually, no, I think it would slightly discourage me. I dislike the whole idea of using a spokesperson to be all ‘Hey look at us, we are so tolerant!’ But that’s just me and my cranky attitude. The aunt who sent me the email is the epitome of a JCP shopper, so if she’s annoyed enough to shop elsewhere, I wonder how many others would do the same.
Ditto BITTS
Frankly, if you classify being gay as a sin, you miss the point. If you believe that God made us all, well, He made gay people too. Maybe He has bigger plans than you realize.
LISSA, worth a read:
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2010/winter/the-hard-liners
I dont shop at Penney’s, and I’m not a huge Ellen fan. BUT, I think it is absolutely heartening to see a corporation reflect what most (yes, even Christians) accept to be true – that LGBT people are just that – people who are just as entitled to love and work as anyone else. I am both a disciple of Christ and a gay-rights advocate, and while I apparently missed my copy of the “gay agenda” (seriously, is it a brochure? A calendar?), every person was crafted by God, and to deny that is to deny His work. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” So, to those who don’t “hate” those “sinful” gays, but are merely upholding a “traditional” family, pray on whether *you* are pure in heart.