PLEASE read - and possibly leave some feedback!? :/
Earlier today I received a very interesting email from a lady saying that she had bought my "Ultimate Coloring Book of the World" on fredflare.com and wrote to tell me that it scares her and believes that there are drug related and homosexual references in it that are inappropriate for children. :^[_] <- this was the look on my face as I was reading her email.... I dunno what to think, honestly im shocked. 1. because ive NEVER been risque with any work that ive put out there, 2. the book is mostly for children, and I can't imagine putting in drug & sexual innuendos for kids to look at.... this really disturbs me. But I do want to be fair to this lady's concern. Because many times I do feel some what oblivious to things around me, however nowadays one really can't say or do anything without it having a double meaning, as opposed to 50 years ago. So I will share with you what the lady wrote to me, and if any of you have time, can you check it out over at fredflare.com or in my shop at roxymarj.com and tell me what you think? Because if it does raise some eyebrows, I think ive got some re-wording to do. :/ Here is her email. Thankyou! Roxy, To explain in detail what I mean, on the mushroom page there is a man sprouting within the mushroom jugling stars...and on the page following it states "Happy Days are here again" The peace signs relate to hippies and drug usage. Also the page with the male specimen with the blush and womens shoes is questionable as homosexually related. I really think that you are portraying wrong images and i know that you know that many ideas in this book are surely inappropriate. Thank-you for your time
15 Comments:
hey roxy,
ill start by saying i love your blog and read it regularly, just one of those quite readers.
now then, the comments made by this woman are enough to wake me out of my sleepy blog reading shell and post a comment of my own.
everything i say from here on in is purely my opinion, nothing more. As such, i do not expect anyone to subscribe to the beliefs i hold and vice versa. so here goes then.....
i have read the comments made by the lady which refer to your colouring book and i have checked out each of the pages viewable a number of times. at no point did i see anything which related to drugs or sexual innuendos/references. i would be more than happy to give this to any of my friends children to colour and enjoy.
i think its sad that in 2006, within reason, some of us still cant let children view diverse imagery.
my perception of your images is magical and mythical.
so ill end by saying, as adults we all have a choice and that choice relates to those things we deem appropriate for children. if you do not think these images are appropriate for your child then dont buy the colouring book and respect the choices made by other adults who may differ from you.
sorry this was lengthy, just really got me thinking.
keep up the great work roxy!
roxy, i second absolutely everything that kylie said and will go a step further: the lady who wrote that email is bonkers--a total wacko loonie and you shouldn't worry yourself over what she's written. not one bit.
it's unfortunate that sharing your vision with the public means that you'll be blasted by haters and weirdos from time to time, but i guess that's just the way it is. please don't let her tiny voice creep into your head and make you second-guess your beautiful work. ok? ok.
you're amazing.
xo
valerie
Roxy, my very cool younger sister bought my eighteen month old son your, "Ultimate Coloring Book of the World". He absolutely loves it. Can't color within the lines to save his life. He says MUSHROOMS! but I can assure you that he says so without drugs on his mind. Keep drawing how you feel and do not compromise your artistic integrity for the "masses".
Hi Roxy!!!! Keith from fredflare.com here. I'm always saddened to hear negative comments from customers. I want to do everything possible to make them happy! But, while I do think you can't entirely dismiss the feedback, I completely agree with everyone else that I never read the imagery in the way she describes. Truth be told, I guess I never really thought of this as an item for kids anyway... But, yeah, don't worry about it toooooo much. I think the book is AMAZING and, judging from how many we have sold, clearly most other people think so also. You do just have to follow your own path and know that, unfortunately, it's gonna get misinterpreted now and again. One of the small costs of being a supertalent:) I would only ask, as I'm sure you already have, that you treat the customer with respect and do your best to offer her good service. She's probably got a blog of her own and if you handle the problem in a classy way then maybe she'll tell a friend about Roxy Marj. You're awesome! Keith
I agree wholeheartedly with everyone above. I can see why you're taken aback but I wouldn't change anything you're doing.
Adults give kids way too much credit in some ways, and when it takes away some of the magic and imagination of childhood, well that's just sad. It's her right to withhold the book from her children, but 99% of kids are too innocent to understand overt drug references, let alone unintentional ones. And it's another huge leap to actually be influenced by them. We grew up with Sid & Marty Krofft, fer Chrissakes, and I don't know anyone who so much as raised an eyebrow till we revisited those shows as grownups!
As for homosexual references, well I can't sympathize with her at all on that one. She's freaking out over a boy playing dress-up? Come on.
It is deeply disappointing to find that with the joy of watching your book receive greater exposure, (most clearly due to its superb quality) a fan has to also see it become more susceptible to fall through the unfortunate path of misinterpretation. Yet in the case where a creation with no malicious intent faces unjustifiable violent opposition, one cannot help but to fear for the accuser's drive to treat such beautiful book with such vile suspicion.
I second Keith's advise in treating the customer with respect and "offer her good service" in hopes that the misreading may be clarified.
As one of the many owners and admirers of your coloring book, I would like to ask you not take the incident personally and stay true to the talent and intuition that has brought you such a strong following.
Keep up with the amazing work! Us fans will always be cheering for you!
I don't have much to add, except that I agree with everyone else! Her email sounded homophobic and paranoid to me. She should have simply returned the coloring book, without trying to influence your artistic expression and push her morals on you.
And I agree with Kim who said that kids rarely notice overt sexual or drug references, let alone subtle/accidental ones. I grew up in San Francisco and I would take walks down Haight street with my parents as a young kid, and I don't think I knew what a pot leaf was until I was about 13.
Your coloring book is wonderful and I hope this doesn't effect your design decisions in the future. : )
roxy!
i got your message on my blog and was wondering what you meant. how insane!!
i think like Kim and Lena said up there,
the woman is projecting an adult point of view on to a kid. as if that kind of thoughts would ever occur to a little kid.
has she seen some kids tv shows, like sponge bob or blues clues? or any other children's shows, which as an adult, looking back, looks and sounds like they're completely drug-induced. but that's what children are like, imaginations running wild and all.
i have your coloring book right here with me...
and just because a boy has make up and high heels around him doesn't make him a homosexual. it could make him a cross dresser, or a make up fiend. and even if that image WAS gay related, what is wrong with that? it's not like you had two people having sex!
and i don't think peace signs equal hippies and drug usage, either. it could equal japanese high school girls, though. haha
i think she was jumping logic, and projecting too much onto a kid's mind. please please please don't ever let this make you edit your thoughts and imagination - those are your best qualities as an artist and designer!!
xo
Aside from the fact that I think she is misinterpreting your work and that her complaints are unfounded:
The listing on fredflare.com clearly shows the images she is talking about, so why is she objecting to the images after receiving the book? The pages featured on their site are a clear sample of what is inside. She should have looked at the content more clearly before purchasing, if she is a person who scrutinizes the content of children's books to find hidden meanings.
i don't have much more to add either, but i TOTALLY agree with everyone here. this woman clearly knew what she was purchasing, and her email only shows that she lacks any sense of imagination. and i'd like to second that she is obviously homophobic and close-minded, and that's just upsetting.
Hey Roxy -
I think that your coloring book is full of imagination and is reflective of your vision of the world. And it really isn’t surprising that you would get negative feedback at some point. The more people that are exposed to your art, especially with works of art that are for kids, the greater the chance that you’ll run into a nut sooner or later. People love to get on their high horses about what’s good for the kiddies.
You are very sweet to want to take her concerns in consideration! I think it's absolute nonsense to be honest. Don't let it get to you! ;-)
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Miss Roxy!
it's true...none of us have the capacity to please everyone. Especially when one creates something and puts it out into the world, there's bound to be the random folk who don't get you (clearly this woman doesn't get it) even though she's entitled to her opinion, you're also entitled to not take her comments to heart, not one bit!
You are a uber talented and inspiring lady, keep on creating for the rest of us!
xoxo
Thankyou EVERYONE for the kind, thoughtful, & intelligent words you have left for me. Your advice has been extremely helpful. And I want you all to know how highly I think of you and how much I admire you all every single day! Literally. :)
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