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1st Grader Who Wrote To Old Navy On Why Girls Need 'Real' Jean Pockets

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

And now we're going to hear from a little girl who recently got a big lesson in the power of persuasion.

KAMRYN GARDNER: I like to put my hands in my pockets, and they're very helpful.

MARTIN: That is 7-year-old Kamryn Gardner of Bentonville, Ark. She was learning how to write persuasive letters in her first grade class when she decided to put that lesson to work and address a problem that a lot of girls and women have complained about over the years - how come many pants for women and girls don't have real pockets? Her mom, Kim Gardner, says this has always bothered her.

KIM GARDNER: It'd probably been going on for I would probably say a year where she just - it was something that was always on her mind. And she'd always tell us, I don't like these jeans because they don't have pockets. I don't want to wear these 'cause they don't have pockets. And so after all of that, I just kind of encouraged her and said - well, what can we do? What do we need to do about this? And that's when she wanted to go to Old Navy and tell them.

MARTIN: Kamryn decided she would write to her favorite clothing brand, Old Navy. And she politely suggested that they start getting rid of what she calls fake pockets, you know, the kind that look like pockets, but they're actually sewn shut.

KAMRYN: (Reading) Dear Old Navy, I do not like that the front pockets of the girls' jeans are fake. I want front pockets because I want to put my hand in them. I also would like to put things in them. Would you consider making girls' jeans with front pockets that are not fake? Thank you for reading my request. Sincerely, Kamryn Gardner, age 7.

MARTIN: Her letter caught the attention of Old Navy's product team, who wrote Kamryn back, saying they do make some pants with real pockets for girls, but they appreciated her feedback and would consider her suggestion.

GARDNER: We did not know if we would get a response. That was something we had talked with her about before, that we were just going to send the letter. And, hopefully, they would receive it. And so we were really excited and thankful that they responded.

MARTIN: And they sent along a few other goodies for Kamryn, too.

KAMRYN: Four pairs of jeans with front pockets in them. I got it right after we got from our vacation, and I even thought it was a birthday present.

MARTIN: She's got her favorite pair picked out already.

KAMRYN: A kind that has shorts. And they have white flowers on them and fringes.

MARTIN: And now that she's had so much success with Old Navy, who does Kamryn think will be the target of her next letter-writing campaign?

KAMRYN: The president.

MARTIN: According to her mom, the first-grader is also very passionate about putting a stop to littering. So, President Biden, keep an eye on that mailbox. That was Kamryn Gardner, a first-grader from Bentonville, Ark., and her mom, Kim Gardner.

(SOUNDBITE OF ATMOSPHERE'S "YESTERDAY") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.