AIBU to question John Lewis advert and its message about women?

Are those advertised on mainstream shops’ websites as “your everyday wardrobe”?

A lot of JL clothing covers most of the body and would count as modest. Trousers and a jumper, maxi skirt and long sleeved top. Should they not sell those?

Anyway I like to see more and more that mainstream suppliers include products for those from minority faiths, ethnicities etc in their lines. Leads to people feeling more included instead of “othered”.

Selling a garment some women would choose to buy is an issue because….?

(The level of paternalism and condescension shown to muslim women as a means of “saving them” really is bizarre.)

Why would you say that? Not everything is Islamophobia.

Making women cover up, to stop men having lead thoughts, in an uncontrollable way, is misogynistic, and should not be supported in any way. Stop making women responsible for the bad behaviour of men.
Next thing we know John Lewis will be selling the Jnr version. We have schools round here where little girls are covered over - tells you all you need to know.

@Naunet my point is the point of the thread, which is about JL selling a muslim prayer outfit - a loose robe and scaef women can wear over their clothes to fulfil thr modesty requirements for attending mosque.

Saris are not religious outfits or limited to followers of one particular religion.

For a business it's about numbers. I suppose it would be how many Jewish women in UK, how many wear special clothing (my Jewish friends have always dressed just like me) does that number work for a national company like JL.

Last I checked, John Lewis didn't just sell religious outfits, so I'm not sure what your point is?

@GreyHedgehog someone of Indian heritage has explained to you the probable reason why mainstream shops don't stock saris. But tell you what, why not write to JL and ask them if you are so concerned?

@Lentilcakes It's a numbers game - number of Jews in the UK - approx 300k, many of whom will have no desire or need for religious dress. Number of Muslims in the UK - £4M.

Shops sell things they think people will want to buy shocker.

However plenty of Muslim traditional looking clothes by brands such as Aab etc on JL, Next, M&S, which are not advertised as religious prayer outfits either. They are selling those too.

It came up on my feed too - prob cos I was searching JL for dresses (and found nothing 😂 )

I have no interest in Muslim garb, but was quite surprised JL would stock these items. I know that religious Jews in my area go to special shops for their specific clothing needs, they are not sold via department stores.

Your question may be rhetorical. But I'm addressing your logic. And it is flawed.

Except, they do though. During Diwali they do a whole seasonal edit, at least at my local Westfield in West London. And they have greeting cards and special ranges. If it's profitable, they'll do it. It's that simple.

But go ahead, complicate it with your agenda.

Also "why don't they stock saris" is not the gotcha you think it is @GreyHedgehog

Saris are not generally religious outfits but just traditional clothing from a particular part of the world, did you know loads of Muslims wear saris? My Muslim friends of Indian and Bangladeshi heritage wears saris and shalwar kameez to special occasions like weddings.

Kindly, you're missing my point which is rhetorical.

As a business model I am sure it makes sense. However, other demographics aren't being considered in the same way. There are now many 'modest' outfits on JL, Next, M&S etc, with variety to choose from so it's not just the fact that it's easier to put on a long outfit with 2 colour variations.

Kindly, I find it a little amusing you can't see it's just a business wanting to profit off a gap in the market.

Do you not know how expensive it is to produce saris and subsequently profit off it?

As an aside, I don't think your average JL customer is interested in the £10 saris you find on a market stall - you could stock them for a profit but also I'm struggling to see that customer buying from there.

If there was a will, there'd be a way, but the will has only been found for one demographic. Applies to other aspects. I don't find it conducive to integration which is extremely important to me as an ethnic minority in this country.

I’ve had this randomly pop up on my FB too. My FB algorithms are full of cat and dog rescue videos! I couldn’t care less that I got the advert but just wanted to add weight to those who are also saying the advert pops up randomly for them.

As a business model, because that's what JL is - a business looking to make a profit. Isn't it obvious that a simple abaya is way easier to stock and profit off than all the various types of saris?

But by that logic, why can't I find a nice sari on there? Why only one minority demographic being catered to?

I took am of Indian heritage and love wearing saris.

Just to explore the lack of sari availability at JL. I would LOVE to be able to find something like that at a more conveniently located shop and not Wembley or East London for example. But I don't know how John Lewis would go about even starting to sell a sari - Banarasi, chiffon, embroidered, modern covered in stones... an abaya is so simple in terms of their lack of variation. I don't think a shop catering for the masses could venture into the sari world because how do you even go about stocking a good selection?

Nor an Indian sari or African outfit.