John Lewis and it’s ‘gender relaxed’ ad

Its a shit add. I am a poor housekeeper and my kids run a bit wild (not deliberately wrecking the gaff ) and as a consequence my house is a scruffy mess. It doesn't resemble the house in the add. Even I wouldn't leave glitter in bowls! In the kitchen!

Not to mention the bullying and destruction of the sisters art. Fuck that.

Interesting that the ad agency previously designed a period product advert putting a girl with short hair in the men's toilets. Makes me think the colours etc. were definitely not accidental.

OMG. It is the Minipops! I was a child, 8/9/10 when they were on but even then my frie da and I knew it was wrong!

I used to hate watching Top Gear, because they regularly used to smash up old caravans or they’d have a football match with new ‘affordable cars’ - they would all, always get bashed up. I used to sit there and cringe, thinking ‘someone could make use of that, and they’re smashing it up’. My kids wouldn’t dream of damaging our stuff on purpose. They are only 5 & 6, but they know things cost money, they also know that ‘home’ is their sanctuary. Apart from anything else, considering the climate change crisis we are currently in, JL are doing nothing for the environment with this ad: ‘just smash things up and replace with more things!’.

Not defending the Bullingdon Club but at least they had the rule that all damage had to be paid for by them in full.

Just to shout a bit louder about the above link - that is Posie Parker writing for the Spectator.

Money quote:

This is about ‘inclusion’, which is a new euphemism for male entitlement.

(She's still banned from Mumsnet, but I guess she's moving up in the world... )

Is any one here old enough to remember the Mini-Pops?

Excellent and concise article Pronouns

Businesses had better steer clear from this agency (their name is rather ironic BTW)

www.spectator.co.uk/article/john-lewis-and-the-entitled-little-emperors

Why does the advertising world seem to attract only the type of people who would produce an ad that is so wrong (and many others)? What's the problem with that industry currently?

I remember a long and boring January where we frequently trashed the house to entertain bored small kids.

People frequently trashed their houses because children were bored? Am I being a meanie when I expect my kids not to smash the tv up and even keep the drinking glasses in one piece?

Put a boy in a dress and he thinks it’s ok to behave badly

It's not far from that attitude to the US school rape cover-up case, is it?

It seems that both advert AND criticism of the advert are transphobic then? Marvelous.

Oh it's definitely anti trans. I am sure that trans women who are trying to peacefully exist in the world will be horrified at the advert's suggestion of how gender non conforming children behave.

It's whether or not this is deliberate and whether JL meant to be so insulting to the trans community.

I wonder if those people who don’t see a problem may lack some awareness of warnings of inappropriate sexual behaviour in children (and dare I saw it understanding of how safeguarding works). This useful resource describes how to tell if a child’s behaviour is inappropriate.

www.stopitnow.org.uk/concerned-about-a-child-or-young-persons-sexual-behaviour/how-to-tell-if-a-childs-sexual-behaviour-is-age-appropriate/

Stop it Now is a resource for the UK & Ireland aiming to help stop child sexual abuse. It is run by the Lucy Faithful foundation which is the only uk charity dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse.

The pouting, arm draped up the wall and hip jutting behaviour shown in the advert would definitely fall under ‘mimicking sexual flirting behaviour too advanced for age’ which is an amber category behaviour for the child in the adverts age group which they advise requires a response from a protective adult, extra support and close monitoring.

Showing this type of warning behaviour in an advert and implying it is nothing to be concerned about ie ‘normalising it’ is highly irresponsible.

I actually think it’s pretty Anti Trans
Put a boy in a dress and he thinks it’s ok to behave badly

I'd forgotten that our current home insurance is with John Lewis . It is up for renewal in May, but my husband just said that we ought to see what it would cost to stop it and take it out with another company now.

Also thinking of complaining. Who do I complain to? Never done it before.

@thevassal that would also be better

My husband hated it, I thought it was quite funny, but within 30 seconds of seeing it I could also see huge issues with it too. I wonder if it will be removed at some point.

But even if it were trying to support the trans community its hardly groundbreaking is it? I remember the scene with Billy elliot and his friend putting on dresses and dancing and that was nearly 2o years ago!

If you really wanted to push the "express yourself" angle could they not have had, for example little sister putting on a dance show and then at key point pulling aside a curtain to welcome her brother onto the stage where he gives it his all and accidentally knocks over a lamp in his enthusiasm...looks worried to parents but they just clap the performance because after all their wonderful home insurance covers accidental damage.

Same message of being yourself without contradicting what you're actually selling and without the creepy undertones of bullying, classism and wanton destruction....

I realised why i found the advert so disturbing (apart from all the great points already mentioned).

The boy dancing reminds me of this www.dailymotion.com/video/x35x301 and thats really, really not right. The video is a clip from the Wicker Man where the landlords daughter is "dancing" in the next room - I think it's all the wall slapping.

What a weird advert. Like others said, ignoring the child, it seems to be a bit of an own goal for JL as it clearly suggests the insurance will pay out for acts of deliberate damage....

Good comment underneath the YT video "Male ‘expresses himself’ with zero regard for the negative impact on the females around him. The patriarchy in action. Clever work John Lewis 👏"