Problem Solved
Encyclopedia
Problem Solved is a controversial slogan
on a t-shirt
designed by Route 66 Attitude, a clothing line sold by major U.S.
department store
Kmart
. The shirt depicts a male stick figure and a female stick figure arguing in the first frame (captioned "Problem"), and in the second frame, the male pushes the female out of a window
(captioned "Solved.")
Due to a perception of its encouragement of violence against women
, the t-shirt generated protests and petitions for its removal from Kmart stores across the United States in late 2006 and early 2007, including in Augusta, Maine
, Oakland, California
, Portland, Oregon
, and Toledo, Ohio
. While a spokesperson for Kmart's parent company Sears Holdings Corporation
claimed that the shirt was intended to be "light hearted", Meijer
claimed to have pulled the shirts immediately after a protest.
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
on a t-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
designed by Route 66 Attitude, a clothing line sold by major U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
. The shirt depicts a male stick figure and a female stick figure arguing in the first frame (captioned "Problem"), and in the second frame, the male pushes the female out of a window
Defenestration
Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window.The term "defenestration" was coined around the time of an incident in Prague Castle in the year 1618. The word comes from the Latin de- and fenestra...
(captioned "Solved.")
Due to a perception of its encouragement of violence against women
Violence against women
Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
, the t-shirt generated protests and petitions for its removal from Kmart stores across the United States in late 2006 and early 2007, including in Augusta, Maine
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. While a spokesperson for Kmart's parent company Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is a retail conglomerate formed in 2005 by the merger of Sears, Roebuck and Co., of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with Kmart Holdings Corporation, of Troy, Michigan...
claimed that the shirt was intended to be "light hearted", Meijer
Meijer
Meijer, Inc. is a regional American hypermarket chain based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1934 as a supermarket chain, Meijer is credited with pioneering the modern supercenter concept in 1962. About half of the company's 196 stores are located in Michigan, with additional locations in...
claimed to have pulled the shirts immediately after a protest.
External links
- Blog discussing the Problem Solved t-shirt and quoting WikipediaWikipediaWikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
article, Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them!Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them!"Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them!" is a slogan on a T-shirt by Florida clothing company David and Goliath. The slogan is printed next to a cartoon image of a boy running away from five stones flying in his direction... - Anonymous letter to the editor, 'Kmart doesn't solve a problem', Kennebec JournalKennebec JournalThe Kennebec Journal is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Augusta, Maine. From 1998 to 2009, it was owned by Blethen Maine Newspapers, a subsidiary of The Seattle Times Company. It was then sold to MaineToday Media. The newspaper covers the capital area and southern Kennebec...
December 19, 2006. - Betty Adams, 'Controversial T-shirt shredded at protest', Kennebec JournalKennebec JournalThe Kennebec Journal is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Augusta, Maine. From 1998 to 2009, it was owned by Blethen Maine Newspapers, a subsidiary of The Seattle Times Company. It was then sold to MaineToday Media. The newspaper covers the capital area and southern Kennebec...
December 22, 2006.