Should Forever 21 sell maternity clothes?
The fast-fashion retailer that caters to teens has launched a "youthful" maternity line. What sort of message does that send?
Forever 21, the go-to fashion chain for stylish and cash-strapped teens, has launched a maternity line called "Love 21 Maternity" in select states, leading some to question whether it's indirectly endorsing teen pregnancy. Three of the five target markets — Arizona, California, and Texas — have some of America's highest teen-pregnancy rates, notes Lilit Marcus in The Gloss: "Coincidence? Or brilliant marketing?" Our line was "never intended" specifically for teens, counters a Forever 21 spokesperson: We're simply trying to attract a new demographic. Meanwhile, Mitzi Sales, a Planned Parenthood exec, as quoted in the Chico Enterprise Record, mocks the notion "that cute maternity clothes might encourage anyone to become pregnant." Laughing matter or serious concern? Watch a local California TV news report:
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago.
-
‘Never more precarious’: the UN turns 80The Explainer It’s an unhappy birthday for the United Nations, which enters its ninth decade in crisis
-
Trump’s White House ballroom: a threat to the republic?Talking Point Trump be far from the first US president to leave his mark on the Executive Mansion, but to critics his remodel is yet more overreach