header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
April 19
1880 - Pico Oil Spring Mine Section 2 patented by R.F. Baker and Edward F. Beale [story]
E.F. Beale


A group of local parents have expressed displeasure at what seems to be an unfortunate coincidence, a company official said Wednesday.

The company Hard Candy, a national line of clothes sold at Walmart, has been questioned by parents for a slang connotation that references pedophilia, but company officials said they had no idea of the ulterior meaning until they were approached for the story.

“I was made aware of this just in the last few days. I know little to nothing about (“Hard Candy”), so I can’t comment toward why it was made, what it’s about, all of that,” said Neal Seideman, executive vice president for Hard Candy.

The clothing company, which, in addition to cosmetics also markets a clothing line to preteen and teenage girls, shares a name with a slang term that, according to Urban Dictionary.com, can mean: “An underage girl – often aged 12 to 16 – who is particularly attractive and/or gullible. In other words, a pedophile’s dream.”

hardcandy012313Sharon Rodriguez, 49, of Stevenson Ranch, has four daughters ages 12-20, and her 15-year-old daughter almost bought one of the shirts before she was dissuaded by her older sister.

Rodriguez didn’t understand what the issue was at first, until a friend explained what the phrase “hard candy” can also mean.

“I was in the store and I was with a friend who used to run movie theaters, and he pointed it out to me and said, ‘Oh my god, there are so many things wrong with this,’” she said.

Her fear was that it could make young girls a target, mentioning a pink T-shirt with the words “Hard Candy Love” that she saw at the store.

There are several factors that make it a unique problem for the company, including a movie about a pedophile called “Hard Candy,” which is where the slang term presumably originates.

The 2005 movie featuring breakout star Ellen Page of “Juno” and “X-men” fame, was a relatively low-budget movie, according to IMDB.

However, the movie was released more than a half-dozen years after the cosmetics and clothing line was sold by international luxury brand LVMH to its current owners, Seideman said.

“We have no affiliation whatsoever (with the movie),” Seideman said. “We had no prior knowledge. In our 10 years of owning this brand, this has never come up until just now.”

When asked about what a business could do in this type of situation, Steve Tannehill, executive director of the Small Business Development Center at College of the Canyons, acknowledged that several factors made it a unique situation.

“It becomes a question of, ‘How do you protect your brand?’” Tannehill said, noting that in today’s era, it’s very difficult to just hope an affiliation like this, however unintentional, may “just go away.”

“Can you get a trademark? Can you get a copyright,” he posited. “There are ways to get legal protections for your brand, but enforcement of that can be quite difficult. Once the movie’s out, there’s not much to be done.”

The issue first came about when a parent noticed the line at a Walmart in Valencia, and contacted the store manager, who referred the parent to the corporate office.

A Walmart official declined to get into details regarding the companies’ affiliation, but did note that most choices are made at a corporate level with some local leeway.

The store wants to be responsive to community needs when possible, said Molly Philhours, a Walmart spokeswoman.

“We won’t publicly discuss business relationships with suppliers or potential suppliers,” Philhours said.

“A lot of decision are made out of our home office (in Arkansas), and we make every effort to be a store of the community,” she said, citing the example that an Atlanta store likely would carry merchandise from the NFL team the Atlanta Falcons, as opposed to products from the local team’s rival.

If an issue like this can’t be pre-empted, then there are reactive measures a business can take, Tannehill said.

The No. 1 thing he advised would be letting people know what a company is about, as a way of distancing the brand from a potential problem

“If you can’t protect your brand then it’s an an issue of, ‘How to do you address that?’” he said. I would tend to be an advocate of, in a situation like this, getting your message out through all channels.”

The company will continue its business, as it has no affiliation with the 2005 movie, Seideman said.

“We stand behind our brand name and the integrity of our company,” he said.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1880 - Pico Oil Spring Mine Section 2 patented by R.F. Baker and Edward F. Beale [story]
E.F. Beale
The Master's University men's golf team shot a 13-under 275 to finish second at the Golden State Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championships held at Briarwood Country Club in Sun City West, Ariz.
TMU Men’s Golf Places 2nd, Women 5th at GSAC Championships
Join local nonprofit Project Sebastian for an exhilarating day of racing and community support at its Rare Warrior 24 race on Saturday, June 1, at Heritage Park in the heart of Santa Clarita.
June 1: Rare Warrior 24 Race Benefiting Project Sebastian
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station Station deputies will be taking part in the “DEA National Drug Take Back Day,” Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in front of the SCV Sheriff’s Station, located at 26201 Golden Valley Road.
April 27: Drug Take Back Day at SCV Sheriff’s Station
The College of the Canyons Center for Civic and Community Engagement—in collaboration with COC’s Golden Z Club—invites the community to attend the Nonprofit Community Resource Fair on Tuesday, April 30.
April 30: COC Hosts Nonprofit Community Resource Fair
College of the Canyons made quick work of visiting L.A. Valley College in a shortened 11-3 home victory that came on a day in which the program unveiled its newly named Michele Jenkins Softball Team Room during a pre-game dedication ceremony.
Lady Cougs Outslug L.A. Valley 11-3
For aspiring scientists at The Master’s University, taking up a student research project is no small commitment.
Retired Professor Continues to Mentor Aspiring TMU Scientists
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is warning residents not to use a Vietnamese herbal ointment called “Cao Bôi Trĩ Cây Thầu Dầu” (Castor Oil Hemorrhoid Extract) because it contains lead and can be fatal.
Public Health Urges Residents to Avoid Vietnamese Hemorrhoid Cream
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a California Apprenticeship Summit Wednesday to raise awareness of apprenticeship opportunities and career technical education pathways that connect California’s youth to high-wage, high-growth career opportunities.
State Apprenticeship Summit Connects Youth to High-Wage Opportunities
College of the Canyons student-athletes Nichole Muro (softball) and Angelo Aleman (baseball) have been named the COC Athletic Department's Women's and Men's Student-Athletes of the Week for the period running April 8-13.
COC Names Nichole Muro, Angelo Aleman Athletes of the Week
California State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, announced Wednesday his bill improving transparency between parents and schools’ sexual education curricula passed out of the Senate Education Committee.
Wilk’s Sex Education Transparency Bill Clears Senate Committee
1945 - Actors Harry & Olive Carey sell Saugus ranch after 29 years; now Tesoro del Valle [story]
Carey Ranch
The 76.6-mile-long Antelope Valley Line has the third-highest ridership in Metrolink’s system with an estimated average of 9,000 passengers daily. However, the uneven terrain and single-tracking along the line in some areas forces trains to travel at a slower speed which results in an estimated travel time of approximately one hour between Santa Clarita and Union Station.
Metrolink to Hold Public Meetings on AV Line Capacity, Improvements
Team Dragon Eyes, affectionately known as TDE, is gearing up to host its highly anticipated Fifth Annual Dragonboat Festival race on Saturday, June 1 at Castaic Lake, Lower Lagoon.
June 1: Team Dragon Eyes to Host Fifth Annual Dragonboat Festival Race
This year marks the 20th year that the city of Santa Clarita has been hosting the annual Bike to Work Challenge. The community is invited to celebrate by riding a bike to work the week of May 13, and stopping by a pit stop on Thursday, May 16.
Party at the Pit Stop, City Paves Way for 20th Annual Bike to Work Challenge
Ready to take control of your financial future? Join the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs Center for Financial Empowerment for the next installment in the Lunch & Learn Financial Capability Month webinar series, "Understanding Credit.
Online Financial Workshops with County DCBA
The Santa Clarita Valley Concert Band will perform a "Starry Might" concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday May 4. The concert, under the direction of Tim Durand, will be held at the Canyon Theatre Guild, 24242 Main St., Newhall, CA 91321.
May 4: SCV Concert Band Presents ‘Starry Night’ at CTG
After a record-setting 2023 combatting organized retail crime, the California Highway Patrol continues to aggressively disrupt and dismantle illegal operations throughout California.
CHP Continues Organized Retail Crime Crackdown, Recovers $4.2M in Goods
Celebrate Earth Day on Monday, April 22 with California State Parks at any of the 280 unique park units across the state. State Parks has numerous Earth Day-themed events planned. They include in-person activities such as guided walks and hikes, workdays and a bioblitz, as well as virtual programming with a live dive broadcast exploring the hidden world of the ocean.
April 22: Celebrate Earth Day at California State Parks
1930 - Telephone switchboard operator Louise Gipe, heroine of the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster, tries & fails to kill herself over an unrequited love [story]
Louise Gipe
Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Major Crimes Bureau Detectives worked closely with Century Station Detectives after learning of a serial robbery crew committing crimes throughout Los Angeles County. 
Serial Robbery Crew Arrested
Join the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center for their second annual Cornhole Tournament fundraiser where all proceeds will support mental health services to anyone in need.
May 18: Samuel Dixon Cornhole Tournament Fundraiser
California State University, Northridge will confer honorary doctorates on four alumni, all respected leaders in their fields, at the university’s commencement ceremonies next month.
CSUN to Confer Honorary Degrees on Business & Education Leaders, All Alumni
On Saturday, April 20, 2024 Valencia High School Theatre will host the 104th DTASC (Drama Teachers’ Association of Southern California) Shakespeare Festival.
April 20: 104th DTASC Shakespeare Festival at Valencia High School
SCVNews.com