Starbucks mermaid too risque for school

by Jenifer Scharpen (Subscribe to Jenifer Scharpen's posts) Sep 8th 2006 5:30PM

Categories: Media, Education, That's Entertainment

Starbucks turns 35 this month, and to mark the milestone the company is bringing back their original mermaid logo for the month of September.

An elementary school principal in Kent, WA, is concerned that the logo is too revealing for the kids' young eyes, so she's told teachers who stop at Starbucks on the way to school to make sure the mermaid's image is hidden under the cardboard sleeves that make hot cups easier to hold.

I thought it was interesting that the kids in this article agreed with the principal, while the parents didn't seem to think it was a big deal.

What do you think? Would you be upset if your child's teacher had one of these cups in class?

Comments (11)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ann adams 9-08-2006 @ 5:55PM

I made a special point of looking at my cup this morning after I'd read this on another blog last night. Not only did I not see anything offensive but the "sleeve" and their napkins have the same image.

Yesterday's BB featured a post on NCLB. The last time I looked, more than 20 concerned parents had responded. We're constantly discussing bullying, safety, stress, and a host of other serious topics over here.

With all the problems in the public schools, this is how the Principal decides to use his time? Will his next step be to monitor each coffee cup as it comes in the door? Video cameras perhaps?

He's not alone. The latest from our middle school is that kids are not allowed to "decorate" their binders. Our school district motto? "Diversity, our strength".

suburban misfit 9-08-2006 @ 6:44PM

It's worse, Ann: the principal is a woman. She's absolutely given in to the overboard political correctness that women seem to think they have to have these days.

Am I offended by the cups? No. Would I care if my children saw the cups? No. They've *gasp* seen me naked (not like I run around the house in my birthday suit, but when you've got kids and showers, sometimes these things happen) and I doubt they've been scared for life.

It's a freakin' *mermaid*. It's not even a real person. Like Ann said, there are SOOOOOO many other *real* dangers that we have to worry about in this world. Breasts? Not one of them.

Laura 9-08-2006 @ 7:34PM

Yeah I agree this is pretty lame. I think children see a lot worse on TV. Even some cartoons these days top a coffee cup.

ann adams 9-08-2006 @ 8:22PM

Thanks Suburban Misfit. I thought I remembered a woman but I must have misread this post. I hate bifocals.

For anyone who would like to read a funny post and funnier comments, click on the link.

http://www.rudecactus.com/archives/002059.html

rocco 9-08-2006 @ 8:40PM

It's not like it's pornography, and they have nudity in art museums too, where schools take kids for field trips. I can understand how the kids don't like the nudity, but they won't be scarred for life by a tiny picture on a coffee cup.

Cassie 9-08-2006 @ 10:36PM

What's the chances a child in elementary school is going to pay enough attention to a cup to even notice the mermaid? People making nudity into a big deal is what causes problems with people not accepting breastfeeding. It's natural...people need to grow up a little bit.

Tamyu 9-09-2006 @ 4:02AM

I think it`s completely silly...
But, you know, I have no problem imagining this scenario:

Kid sees the cup, laughs at it - "naked girl! hahaha", goes home, tells mom who freaks out and tries to sue the school...

More than protecting the children, I think the principal is trying to protect the school from parents who might have a problem with it. It`s silly, and overly PC, but what`s even more pathetic is that there are some parents who might go overboard about it. It`s the parents who are at the real root of all this - If you treat something as shameful, kids will learn it is. Nudity isn`t shameful or unnatural in my house, but it is in other people`s.

Wallaby 9-09-2006 @ 4:14AM

I think this is really ridiculous.There is nothing wrong with those cups.

I bet the principal was just worried some of the parents disturbed by the Janet Jackson thing would complain about this too - or maybe she was attacked by a topless mermaid as a young child and is still traumatised...well you never know! ;)

Sue 9-20-2006 @ 7:29PM

While I dont know if the kids would notice because the picture is small, it is narrow minded parents like you , who cant see the forrest thru the trees. Maybe you dont care if your kids grow up to have any modesty at all, many parents nowdays dont seem to care, but repeatedly showing breasts in public just teaches girls especially, that theyre no big deal, when actually girls should think they are. How do you expect your daughters to have the strength to say no to the "show me your tits" etc, they will hear, yes they will, if you the parent DONT teach them that their bodies are special? Maybe you would think it no big deal to see your daughter on Ho's, I mean "Girls Gone Wild", and that is your choice. Seeing naked bodies in an anatomy book, or museum, and I would be careful here with small kids, is much different than everyday life. We need to give our girls the strength to believe that they are beautiful and that they DO NOT need to show their flesh to be accepted. Wake up, we have a crisis in this country. Considering there are now kids as young as 10 having sex, doing oral sex on schoolbuses etc, and YES, this is in very well to do school districts, you parents are missing the ball .

oldersister 9-21-2006 @ 5:34PM

that is stupid. with the prinipal and the teachers making such a big fuss, the kids are going to notice, but if everyone just doesn't act like it is a big deal, none of the kids are going to care. This sort of thing happened before. awhile ago my kid brother wore a shirt to school that had all of these authentic Carribian pirate flags on it and one of them had a naked mermaid on it. so the teachers tried to walk closely behinde him to cover it, and by doing that all these little kids started yelling about naked ladies. so the teachers yelled at my brother instead of calling our parents and as a result they made him take his shirt off and told us NOTHING. (we found out later from my bro). we are quite upset with our shcool and found they handled the situation quite immaturely. THis show wht, if you just expose it, no one notices!!!

Young Sugar 9-12-2006 @ 7:29PM

so let me get this right people...if a little girl see's a mermaid breast on a cup of coffee, does this mean that she will starting showing her boobies. Help me out. Cause if this is true, what the heck did the strippers in the world see when she was a child...a pole in the basement and she decided to slide up and down a pole for money. look the bottom line is...a child can have the best up bringing, protection by both parents and the best education. once they get to that point where they can make up their own minds (whether right or wrong) their isn't much we as parents can do about it. Now do we want our children watching a prostitute getting laid...no. My point exactly. A cup of coffee with a mermaids boobies is not that big of a deal. Hell half the time people dont pay attention to that stuff.

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