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John Lewis and it’s ‘gender relaxed’ ad

634 replies

SouthernFashionista · 11/10/2021 19:44

Curious to hear thoughts on the new ad from John Lewis. It strikes me as sinister. Why does a small child have to send out a message of LGBTQ equality? Why is he acting like a drag queen.

OP posts:
WorriedWishingWell · 12/10/2021 18:43

@YoBeaches

Claire Pointon, customer director for John Lewis said: “We wanted to inject joy, freedom and humour into this campaign. The story we landed on fulfils this, with the idea that when you have John Lewis’ Home Insurance with the option of accidental damage cover, you don’t need to worry anymore, you can just ‘let life happen’. “The ad playfully highlights the things that could happen as Reggie dances around, freely expressing himself, from knocked vases and picture frames, to paint on the carpet and nail varnish along the bannisters.”
Meanwhile the sister's attempt to express herself is thwarted when little Reggie deliberately knocks her paints onto the floor.
Forgotthebins · 12/10/2021 18:42

I think the class point that pp have made is very good. This little boy is allowed to wreck things. Other little boys in less John Lewis homes would not be.

YoBeaches · 12/10/2021 18:40

Claire Pointon, customer director for John Lewis said: “We wanted to inject joy, freedom and humour into this campaign. The story we landed on fulfils this, with the idea that when you have John Lewis’ Home Insurance with the option of accidental damage cover, you don’t need to worry anymore, you can just ‘let life happen’.
“The ad playfully highlights the things that could happen as Reggie dances around, freely expressing himself, from knocked vases and picture frames, to paint on the carpet and nail varnish along the bannisters.”

WorriedWishingWell · 12/10/2021 18:23

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Whitefire · 12/10/2021 18:19

@WinterfellsStarbucksConcession

I thought it was funny it made me smile, but then I can't get too worked up about adverts 🤷‍♀️
Lots of adverts give me the rage, a top one is the Dettol advert for an automatic handsoap pump which they tried to sell on the basis you wouldn't have to touch a germy pump, right before you washed your hands anyway.
SirChenjins · 12/10/2021 18:16

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MoltenLasagne · 12/10/2021 18:07

Well my references are about two decades out of date because that boy reminded me of Veruca Salt smashing up the chocolate factory. Wilful, brattish behaviour which IIRC got her weighed as a bad egg and sent down the garbage shoot...

NevermindNelson · 12/10/2021 18:05

Absolutely not playful self expression and yes, I immediately thought of Desmond - because that’s who the boy seems to be styled as.

Congressdingo · 12/10/2021 17:46

Can you imagine if an advertiser made an ad with a kid in a flat wearing a tracksuit, trashing their house? They be branded a nasty thug

Absolutely. But cos it's a naice house etc etc, its "spirited"

And same as pp by Ted, I too grew up with an abuser and walking on eggshells and being silent and passive until the worst was over. And that advert with the silent daughter and bemused looking mother take me right back. Not in a good way.

Keeping2ChevronsApart · 12/10/2021 17:44

@Piapiano

I've complained to JL saying that it's fine for a boy to wear a dress but when you combine that with over the top make up, pouting and sexualised poses it is sexualising a young child.

It is also reinforcing harmful stereotypes of "boys will be boys" I.e. violent, bullying and antisocial while the woman amd girl look on quietly (too scared to react?). How misogynistic.

It is also misleading as PP have said, deliberate damage isn't included in their home insurance cover.

Why on earth would a respectable brand like JL want to be associated with sexualising children, misogyny and misleading their customers?

Just asked my cousin who works on the shop floor, he said they pay out on insurance as children aren't classed as responsible for damage. They often give refunds for insured items they've bought in store. I told him the advert is a disgrace
LadyCatStark · 12/10/2021 17:35

Jesus Christ that mum needs to get a grip of her little shit!

GreekTragedy · 12/10/2021 17:31

@JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff

No he is not just wearing a dress. My son loves "being Anna" and acts like a normal preschooler.

This boy is pouting, strutting, being a diva and that is the point. If he were wearing wellies and fairy wings and accidentally getting mud on the carpet that would be a little boy being himself.

This kid is wearing full make up, doing duck face, and yes, trashing the house while the mum and sister cringe silently, heads down whilst their stuff is being wrecked.

Omg this advert makes me feel very uncomfortable! As a PP asked , what do JL think they are saying in this advert.

AnyOldPrion · 12/10/2021 17:16

Playful self-expression?

Vindictive destructiveness more like.

WinterfellsStarbucksConcession · 12/10/2021 17:15

I thought it was funny it made me smile, but then I can't get too worked up about adverts 🤷‍♀️

catzwhiskas · 12/10/2021 17:11

Brave stunning destructive and entitled.

SickAndTiredAgain · 12/10/2021 17:08

Not the point of the thread I know, but I’ve just got the name SirChenjins! Bit slow off the mark today I think, I thought it was just a nonsense word.

WorriedWishingWell · 12/10/2021 17:05

I don't want to misquote SirChenjin but my take on the ad, and what I recall her saying, was that the ad is analogous to certain TRAs trampling on women's rights with no regard for the effect on women, and the women/girls being unable to say a word about it.
Obviously, not all trans people are like that.

CrystalBird · 12/10/2021 17:00

Pouty, sexualised, destructive, horrible bratty little boy and yep - definitely giving me drag Queen vibes

Tedimhoardingrightsosaur · 12/10/2021 16:57

Can you imagine if an advertiser made an ad with a kid in a flat, wearing a tracksuit, trashing their house? They be branded a nasty thug.

Absolutely.

Also, interesting that there is no father figure in the ad. I doubt that the public would buy into the "man of the house" sitting back passively while that happened.

Tedimhoardingrightsosaur · 12/10/2021 16:51

The reactions of the daughter/sister are a bit disturbing to me. No normal sibling in a normal household would just sit there not reacting. I grew up in a violent/chaotic household. I can remember having to remain very calm and passive/non reactive while our family abuser was charging around the place out of control. We had to wait until they tired themselves out. The paint thing reminds me of homework being ripped up in my face. I still go very still when anything bad happens now, I just don't panic/react when I probably should.

kwiksavenofrillsusername · 12/10/2021 16:46

@PattiPritell

Adweek says 'With people spending more time at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, British retailer John Lewis turns a house into a platform for one boy’s playful self-expression.'

Bollox !

Wow timely. It’s only been 18 months.

Got to love ‘spirited’. Of course, a nice middle class boy in a Victorian terrace is allowed to be ‘spirited’. Can you imagine if an advertiser made an ad with a kid in a flat, wearing a tracksuit, trashing their house? They be branded a nasty thug.

Whitefire · 12/10/2021 16:38

Is 'self-expression' the new 'spirited'?

MummBRaaarrrTheEverLeaking · 12/10/2021 16:14

@GrandmaMazur

Wish I’d seen what SirChenjins said!
It was a very good analogy between the ad and the position we find ourselves in tdoay. I'm guessing (as I had a post removed for similiar a while ago) is that you can't tar all people of particular group with the same brush.

But if you think about the ad as an anology with the main character of one sex riding roughshod over the people of the other sex in the ad you won't be far off. Obviously this was a bit too close to the bone for some.

PattiPritell · 12/10/2021 15:16

JL can woke off as far as I'm concerned - I'm so sick of this sexist stuff , they don't read the papers I read.

PattiPritell · 12/10/2021 15:14

Adweek says
'With people spending more time at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, British retailer John Lewis turns a house into a platform for one boy’s playful self-expression.'

Bollox !