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Original poster

To feel slightly uncomfortable with this?

131 replies

bettytaghetti · 05/01/2018 14:22

I have 2 very reluctant clothes shoppers for sons and so end up doing a lot of their clothes shopping online and then they can say yay or nay at home. Today I have been looking at the Jack Wills site, exclusively at the men's clothing - jeans, shirts, etc, and have put some items in the basket. When I looked at the basket it gave me some suggestions of other things I might like. Based on my browsing history, why on earth would it come up with this other than thinking I'm a randy teenage boy?

Also, while the male models are a healthy 32R sort of size model, these girls are clearly underage/underweight.

To feel slightly uncomfortable with this?
OP posts:
starzig · 05/01/2018 14:53

Those models are not underweight. They look really fit and healthy to me. Also it is YOUR browsing history. You must have been looking at female undies at that site (Or a site owned by same overall company). The teenage boy that doesn't want it in his face probably wouldn't have the same browsing history.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 05/01/2018 14:54

It's an "interesting" leap to go to teen girls in their underwear from browsing for men's clothes, for sure!
I suppose it depends on what other information the website has managed to glean from your usage, or your computer, or cookies or whatever other cunning bits of software they use these days (I'm only semi, if that, computer literate)

But yes, I think that's a bit off.

starzig · 05/01/2018 14:55

Underage for what Janet. Wearing underwear?

Sirzy · 05/01/2018 14:56

Is there an age limit to be a model now?

astoundedgoat · 05/01/2018 15:01

It's not your browsing history. It's Jack Wills' upsell algorithm or settings. I would say (as a marketer) that they have it wrong in this case - were you buying underwear for your sons? Is that what was in the basket? If so, the upsells/cross-sells should have been t-shirts, shower gel and maybe a sweatshirt. As far as I know, JW uses an ecommerce platform called Demandware, and on any ecommerce platform you can select the products customers might see at various points of the buying process, like when you add something to your basket - "customers who bought this also liked these". I think it's an error that girls underwear came up - a buy buying underwear is hardly likely to buy a bra (despite the hoops that Yellowberry is being made to jump through right now!).

To answer your other point, what sort of model do you expect to be modelling bras and knickers on a preppy teenage fashion site? I was skinnier that those girls when I was 16/17/18 (no eating disorders, just a lot of dancing).

slashlover · 05/01/2018 15:01

It could easily be based on what other people have looked at. Have you seen the random stuff Amazon suggests in the 'people who bought this also bought...' section at the bottom?

defineme · 05/01/2018 15:01

I think jack wills is a young teen brand..my 13 year olds like it but 16 yr old not so keen. I think those girls look like my 13dd, but are probably 16/17 and so it's more normal to be skinny at that age? I have seen a lot more obviously underweight. I do think it's an issue worth raising, there are still models dying of anorexia induced heart attacks.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/01/2018 15:02

Were you logged into the site BTW OP?

Fresta · 05/01/2018 15:03

Like other's have said, they look like healthy young women to me. Jack wills is aimed at teens and young women so they choose models which reflect their demographic. I actually think those models are more healthy looking than a lot of models I see on clothing websites. They look about 17- 21

starzig · 05/01/2018 15:08

Be aware also that some models may look a little younger than street randoms as their career choice encourages them to eat well, drink water, take care of their skin, exercise etc...

BigBaboonBum · 05/01/2018 15:11

Maybe your sons been browsing the lady-undies online? This would bring the recommendations up. They are young, but so is your son and they certainly aren’t underage... but I can’t imagine your son is pondering over their age when he’s browsing boobies online! I wouldn’t worry

APlaceAtTheBSDTable · 05/01/2018 15:12

It could be that you're not the only mum who buys underwear for their DCs but the others buy underwear for their teenage DDs after buying it for their teenage DSs.
I wouldn't feel uncomfortable about it.

irregularegular · 05/01/2018 15:15

I was agreeing with everyone else - the (small) pictures in the post don't look particularly underweight. But having looked at the actual pictures on the site some of the models do look extremely thin. Skinnier than my 15 yr old daughter who is usually a size 6 (but only 5 ft 4). I also agree that it is an odd algorithm that throws up these suggestions after shopping for boys clothes.

WorraLiberty · 05/01/2018 15:16

Good god, I feel some some teenage girls if their developing, growing bodies are being considered underweight nowadays.

irregularegular · 05/01/2018 15:19

Talking about unhealthy models, has anyone else just received the January Boden catalogue? I thought that at least one of the models who feature heavily in the catalogue looked so thin in the face she looked positively ill. Not the nice healthy look I associate with Boden at all!

horatioisabrick · 05/01/2018 15:20

Don’t look underaged but very young imo, yes.

irregularegular · 05/01/2018 15:21

I know Jack Wills is largely bought by teens, but they do not have a "teens" section, only Ladies. My 15 yr old daughter only just got big enough to fit their stuff.

TeeBee · 05/01/2018 15:24

Underaged for what? Wearing bland underwear? I think not. And they are not over weight at all. That's what a normal teenage body looks like. They are teenagers selling teen underwear. I'm not sure what the issue is.

irregularegular · 05/01/2018 15:29

I don't know, this looks awfully thin to me:
www.jackwills.com/walworth-heritage-bralet-100012816009.html

Given it is a brand that markets itself to young teens, I think it is offering a pretty small range of sizes to aspire to, and possibly a unhealthy one.

horatioisabrick · 05/01/2018 15:33

*Don’t look underweight but very young, yes.

BertrandRussell · 05/01/2018 15:35

"can’t imagine your son is pondering over their age when he’s browsing boobies online"
Really? Maybe he should..........

BertrandRussell · 05/01/2018 15:37

And why are the pants called Brazilian?

WeAreGerbil · 05/01/2018 15:41

Not as bad as Brandy Melville, who only do most of their clothes in one size - skinny.

MikeUniformMike · 05/01/2018 15:42

I like Jack Wills clothes apart from the stuff with the name emblazoned on it. There is a shop not far from me and it is full of nice things that seem good quality but a bit, ok a lot, out of my price range. The shop assistants at the local shop are always polite and do not treat me as if I might be shopping for my grandchildren.
I had a look at their underwear page and the models look like slim young women who can wear fairly flimsy underwear.

slashlover · 05/01/2018 15:47

And why are the pants called Brazilian?

Because that's the name of the shape of them.