"Rude lady picture"

Last weekend I was running between some shops in a local shopping centre. For the first time I noticed a shop opposite one of the major grocery stores with a poster in the window about a metre and a half wide and two metres long. The picture was immediately offensive to me as I recognised it for what it really was. I will delicately call it a "rude lady picture". I was shocked, grossed out and very happy that Westley had taken the children to the car already so they weren't seeing it also. Instantly I knew I had to do something about it.

This was way out of my comfort zone. I do not like to create conflict or confrontation - I will usually avoid it at all costs, but I couldn't this time. I knew I needed to speak up on behalf of the innocence of all the children who walk past this shop.  So, in I went and politely informed the shop assistant (who turned out to be the owner, a middle aged woman) that I found the picture offensive and why. She was defensive, telling me that I should just not look at it if I wanted to and that I needed to direct any complaints to centre management. So I did, and guess what? The poster is now down! Seems I was not the only one to take action and our efforts combined resulted in the shop owner reluctantly removing the disgusting image (to sell!! It should be binned not sold, but I have no say in that unfortunately).

I basically wanted to encourage you all out there to speak up when you find something rude or offensive. In my case, the littlest thing of a verbal complaint and follow-up phone call was enough to right this wrong. Our children are precious gifts with young innocent minds. Let's protect our children and others children, by doing our best to instil value and worth in our women. This has given me hope that maybe we have more control beyond our immediate homes to limit or delay this rottenness penetrating the world.