John Lewis taking piss now

Well, that explains it then! x

You really have to ask 🤔

I think that's a FC image not a JL one.

This is the image of the dress on the FC website.

https://www.frenchconnection.com/products/sequin-mesh-mini-dress-copper

And once again, this is the image on the main JL shopping site.

https://www.johnlewis.com/french-connection-sequin-mesh-mini-dress-copper/p112475745

When a friend of mine was an Art College student she sent me the most Art College Christmas card ever; a pink furry upside down fir tree on a turquoise background. Like Christmas, but shit.

Perhaps JL are saving money by asking local Art College kids to do their advertising now?

I used to work for JLP. Their motto, and company ethos, was "Goodwill is Gold-dust" and we were expected to live up to this in all our interactions with the public.

At this point in the gender ideology/critical situation, a few brave and stunning women (Maya, Alison, Jo etc.) have risked a lot; and a lot of the rest of us have crowdfunded them solidly to uphold women's rights against TRA onslaughts.

JLP are certainly not extending goodwill to the (large) percentage of their clientele who are gender critical, with ads such as this and the brat-boy one which, in the current climate, are a political provocation bordering on misogyny. After all the tribunal judgements, Cass, censure of Mermaids etc, you think they'd read the room.

JLP are now the last place I would go to shop - if I can get an item somewhere else, I will.

Yes, definitely two fingers. Surprised it wasn't just a single middle one.

Oh yes, I can see the glass now, but still the two fingers remain prominent.

It's a shit picture but the gender of the model is utterly irrelevant to that.

I can see the dress, and whether it's on a twig of a woman or an androgynous man makes no difference to me. I imagine this bizarre excess of rage was what early trouser-wearing women must have experienced, so pretty sure society is going to move forward regardless.

Doesn't mean I don't agree with single sex spaces for those who need them, but an androgynous models aren't part of that discussion in my mind. It's a shame the conversation has to get diluted and derailed with this sort of inoffensive stuff that someone cynically posts to desperately try and get a trending thread.

Tbf, he's holding a champagne coupe. He does look like the photographer has just asked him to climb up and be the tree topper.

The photo is very uncanny valley, the rear wall of the room sloping away. The tiny under-decorated tree, the giant model with tiny head, unpleasant expression and ginormous feet, the lack of sparkle, the dreary colours.

Would any tw seeing this ad even be interested in it? I doubt they want to see themselves as anything other than 'women' in dresses. I think even if the model was female but looks male in that frock who would want clothing that seemed to give that effect? Who is this ad aimed at...Stonewall?

I think that's a FC image not a JL one.

Are JL claiming that the model is female? Or is it just a picture of someone wearing a dress that bothers you OP? I'm not seeing the problem, but then I don't make no seeing women in trousers either. It's just clothes.

You're probably right.

How tedious. It's the kind of thing you might expect a teenager to do :" Hey, look at me! I'm so edgy and unique! You're so boring and middle aged; you have no idea!"

Just pretentious shite.

It conjures up the image of a pervy 70s creep taking upskirt photographs of a school child who's tried on a grown-up's dress.

The sad thing is that this may have been the actual intention, and that it was supposed to be clever.

I don't like any of the advert. It conjures up the image of a pervy 70s creep taking upskirt photographs of a school child who's tried on a grown-up's dress.

Definitely a stills-capture from a dodgy film.

JL lost the plot years ago anyway. Such a shame- they used to be a reliable place to shop. Now they're just seedy.

Some of the comments on this thread

With the fingers in a gun shape. 😮

Bella is the replacement dog. Head of the family was going to be Benji, but there was an unfortunate incident with Benji and the turkey.

The poussin has valiantly stepped into the turkey role in the hope that no one would notice the glaring fact it's not a bloody turkey!

This. Although if it was Reece Shearsmith in a dress he’d actually look a lot more like a woman than this.

Actually I’d very much like to see a Steve Pemberton/RS ad campaign for something!

The facial expression and hidden left hand make it look as if they’ve been caught pissing on the tree!

It's only done the job if people spend money buying stuff at JL shops or on its website.

Talking about it on its own contributes nothing to JL's bottom line.

Talking about it and associated behaviour at JL which puts people off shopping with the store actually has a negative effect.

Ask Gerald Ratner.

I wouldn’t buy the dress because I don’t want to look like a man in a dress which is the vibe I’m getting from the photo.

Gosh that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and full of Festive cheer!

Awfully dull / uninspiring advert though but it’s done the job if we’re talking about it…

“Men can wear anything they like and still be men.”

100% this!!! I don’t know why people find this hard to understand.

"As festive as a job centre foyer"