Abstinence Comes to Kmart
If you’ve been to your local Kmart recently, you might have spotted the latest and greatest in girls’ fashion. Kmart is selling sweat pants that have the message “True Love Waits” written—of all places—across the backside.
If you’ve ever participated in an abstinence-only-until-marriage program, you’re probably familiar with the “true love waits” message. Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs urge teens to wait until they marry their “true love” to have sex. And while abstinence is the only 100-percent effective way to protect yourself from STDs and unplanned pregnancy, we’ve got a few questions for Kmart:
- So it’s not “true love” if you have sex before marriage?
- If you can’t legally get married because you’re gay, lesbian or bisexual, does that mean you should never have sex?
- Where are the “True Love Waits” pants for boys? Doesn’t the message apply to them, too?
- Why on earth would you have the message “True Love Waits” across your butt?!
Is Kmart trying to make abstinence-only sexy? Seems more like a mixed message to us.
Tags: abstinence
(10 votes, average: 3.6 out of 5)
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June 25, 2008 at 11:14 pm
It seems that Kmart is definitely for abstinence-only-until-marriage. The message is clearly confusing. It definitely says that sex is wrong instead of showing teens how to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancy or STDs. I mean c’mon teens are going to have sex. It’s one of the most if not the strongest urge known to humankind. Teens are going to have sex, be curious about sex, or repress it because of religious or personal reasons.
A big conglomerate like Kmart should think twice before sending a message like this to teens. We love sex and we want to know how we can protect ourselves, not how we should wait till we find true love to have sex. Besides who defines true love? I may think I’m in true love with a guy who abuses me so is it okay to have sex with him? Is Kmart saying that we should wait until we get married to have sex? Why? Does sex become okay only after getting married? Why? What is wrong with responsible sex? Our parents had sex to give birth to us and my parents argue all the time and as long as I remember, they never seemed to be in “true love.” So, tell me, who defines when sex is okay?
July 10, 2008 at 11:07 am
I think that Kmart is setting a trend that should be also be adapted by other popular stores. However, because more popular clothing stores are more concerned with making money than spreading a message, that will most likely never happen. The thruth is that the majority of people who have sex too early do end up regretting it. And once they DO marry their soulmates, they have nothing special to give to the only person who was willing to truly make a commitment.
AND I think that this message does apply to girls more than guys for the simple fact that girls tend to be more easily influenced by their counterparts. A guy can pretty much easily convince a girl to do something that she doesn’t want to do or doesn’t feel completely ready to do just for “love.” But now, someone bigger than your boyfriend, a nationwide department store is telling you that it’s okay to wait.
This doesn’t imply that it’s not really love if it’s prior to marriage, but it says that love should always be a part of marriage, but it isn’t always a part of a relationship with a high-school sweetheart.
July 15, 2008 at 3:08 am
I really don’t think that kmart fully considered all the questions listed on the blog- stores like that want to make money. They also have sex-oriented clothing, they just want to appeal to a wide public. They were trying to make clothing that
religious christian teens would be interested in. I’m not religioius, and those pants still look pretty cute to me. I don’t plan on waiting until after marriage, but still “True Love waits” Doesn’t have to apply only to abstinence before marriage. It can mean True Love waits until marriage, or it can mean True love waits until both partners are ready. (not having sex because you feel pressured) Either way, I think people are looking to far into a cute pair of pants.
August 2, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I think the pants are a great idea. The message means what you want it to. It doesn’t nessesarily mean wait until marriage. If that was the message, the pants would say “true love waits until marriage.” People can also take it to mean wait until both of the partners are sure they’re ready. If teens are pressured by thinking that their partner’s love will run out without sex, then the pants will remind them that it’s not worth it unless its true love. And of course, if it is true love, it will wait.
Plus they’re cute. I think wearing the pants will send the message that you respect yourself and you don’t care what people think. And to the question: “why would u put the message on the butt?”, i don’t think the placement of the message has anything to do with the actual message. If you’re gonna put words on sweatpants, the traditional places are somewhere around the front pockets, on the butt, and at the bottom by ur ankle. Anyway, i LOVE the idea and i think that it should become a popular fashion statement.