South Pasadena Residents Don’t Like Topless Maids, Fun

Every time I begin to think that California is this blissful liberal paradise where everyone just hangs out on street corners smokin' a j and blowing each other, a group of crackpots have to come along and shatter that image.

According to the Pasadena Star-News "Oddities" section (link below), the party poopers are residents of the "self-described family-friendly community" of South Pasadena who are upset over a pink van advertising $99 Topless Maid service that's been spotted in the area several times. 

“We are outraged about the ways these vans normalize the commodification and degradation of women — particularly women of color, who are, unfortunately, most associated with domestic work,” they wrote in an email to the city. “We would like to see this business investigated for human trafficking and by Cal OSHA for worker safety. It seems a very short step between topless maids and prostitution — and even sexual assault.”

But surely this is a legitimate business, right? 

“It’s more legitimate than Playboy,” Raymond Stein said. “It’s an entertainment business. It’s a cleaning service. We don’t just do cleaning services. We do butler services. We do all kinds of stuff. We’re doing a lot of legitimate, professional services. There is no touching, no lap dances. We’re more legitimate than strippers who go to your house.”

See? More legitimate than strippers that go to your house. What say you calm, level-headed, concerned citizen Kim Nguyen?

“In fact, I think its salacious message is so distracting that it is probably a safety hazard. Get rid of it now, please,” she wrote in an email. “Isn’t it enough that Fair Oaks is teeming with brothels masquerading as massage parlors? Must we allow direct advertisements for topless people/activities?”

The company's website makes specific mention of their status as an equal opportunity employer "with white, black, Portuguese, Arabic and Armenian employees." That should be enough to assuage your concerns, shouldn't it?

Resident Camille Favilli sees the mobile sex ad as a disgusting and perverse way to appeal to prurient interests. “It is beyond tasteless and violates all sense of decency in a city of families and young children,” she said.

Ah, yes, the old "think of the children" stock answer that everyone loves to pull out. Keep on keepin' on, intrepid citizens of Pasadena. You've almost got that speck of wood out of your brother's eye, despite that giant plank of wood in yours. 

Via Pasadena Star-News