The PB Teen catalog creeped me out

[KurtNYC]

The former residents here apparently got every pottery barn (and Crate & Barrel, Williams & Sonoma, etc) catalog they produce and there are at least 3 -- Kids, Teen and PB. I can't seem to get PB to stop sending them. Looked inside the Teen one and it is like furnishings for the Stepford Wives' kids. Cookie cutter, generic stuff to fill your kids room with.

And for 3 years or so they have been pushing the peace sign stuff but in the current one they give it front cover position. They put up a definition of what the Peace symbol means... and who knew, it apparently doesn't have anything to do with war, no it means: "friendship, love and kindness." They advise you to "give off a positive vibe" at school. So they have neutered the Peace symbol into a kind of corporate logo for PB. And the catalog is filled with stuff with peace symbols on them: drapes, pillows, clothes, quilts, sleeping bags, purses, backpacks, chairs,and sheets.

The girl's stuff is all peace and pastels. The boy's stuff is camoflauge prints. metallic bins, huge posters of skateboarders and surfers, and lots of navy blue, dark plaids and dark woods.

It is like they have rendered meaningless the symbols of war and peace while pitching the war stuff to boys and the peace stuff to girls. I would love to see a parody of PB Teen where the rooms are generic versions of the Goth kid's room or something other than corporate retro.

[realisticphish]

1. I hate the peace symbol

in its day, it meant a lot. Now it's just decor :shrug:

And PB isn't the one who did it. It's been dead for a long time...

[gratuitous]

2. Get a peace symbol to go with your camo print

Nothing says commitment like a mixed message. I suppose there's an outside possibility that some kids might look behind the mass marketing scheme and learn something, and it's too bad to see peace become just another commodity in an overcommodified world. But I suppose it's inevitable, and change will begin when our society turns its back on materialism. But there are such strong, relentless and persistent forces at work to keep things the way they are.

[mitchum]

3. The Sports Illustrated Kids swimsuit issue really creeped me out