John Lewis ad is sexualising girls

[Lovecleansheets]

Got this image on email advertising Halloween dressing up but I think it’s creepy and overtly sexual.

1. female child seems posed with hand on hip. Gaze seems serious, not amused or laughing.
2. there’s nothing funny or spooky. Her outfit and makeup seems more appropriate for an adult.

Checked with DH who just winced and agreed.

I will be contacting JL to express my distaste.

Any thoughts?

I really see no “sexual appeal” in the girls pose, look or costume. Is quite like this one on a boy.

What like these medieval women?

I don’t remember seeing half laced bodices on the front of women’s dresses in historical paintings. At a time when women were supposed to be chaste and pious or else be deemed a harlot. Most people were peasants wearing linen, wool and flax not fancy ribbons.

I'd have loved wearing that when I was 10.

Moreso if my mum had let me have a go with her lipstick.

I might even have put my hand on my hip.

You're mad.

We do? I already posted one boy, here is another. He’s even smiling how OP thinks a girl should always be smiling.

Wrong century and wrong class. Witches were invariably very poor peasant women so they had no maids to lace their stays, so the lacing was in the front. Lacing in the back was for the upper classes.

But the stays weren’t exposed trailing

You are bonkers

I didn’t say they were…

You haven’t explained

• why you have posted a painting of women from the 12th century which is further in time from the witch hunts of the 17th century than we are….you’d have been more accurate if you’d posted a painting of a women from the 2000s.

• why you don’t get that working class/peasant women (who were always the ones accused of being witches) were only very rarely in historic paintings because paintings cost tons of money and were a luxury item.

Me too. Especially the idea that the girl isn’t grinning ear to ear is somehow making her “knowing” and “intent”…🤮

I would say she is very glamorous and too 'made up' for her age, but I don't think she is sexualized.

My youngest dd would look like that and pose for photos like that from around the age of 4/5! She was always precocious and like to perform and pose. We kept all input strictly PG so I can assure you it was not sexualised.

The perspective of a lot of the posters on this thread is disturbing.
If an image of a child in a Halloween costume makes you think they're posing sexually then you are the problem

Eh? You’ve just proven my point, here is a boy smiling broadly and normally, straight on to the camera, hand happens to be around hip but it’s not in the same way as the girl photo as he’s straight on. I think both boys and girls outfits should be advertised like this boy’s one

The people saying she has a "knowing look" are very worrying. Sounds like the sort of comment a predatory man would say: she knew what she was doing, etc.
Also bonkers to suggest she has learned to pose in that way. She probably put her hand on her hip because the photographer asked her to.
There's probably 50 other unused photos of her posing in different ways.
There's sexualising children and there isn't, and this isn't.

I don't like it. It has the ring of the wrong tone about it. I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say sexualised but it's "off".

It isn't surprising JL are going down the pan if this represents their marketing strategy. Those who won't like it will largely be drawn from the middle classes who are aspirant and ambitious for their children - in London those who get on their knees to save the fees, etc. Ellie-May and Eva-Rose will be seen in similar outfits, Olympia and Cicely, probably not.

JL needs to look at its customer base and ban dogs that aren't care dogs from Peter Jones - it's unpleasant when they pee on the floor

Lol - I think she’s supposed to be a witch with attitude? and I’d rather my daughter be dressed as a strong sassy witch than a sickly sweet smiley submissive angel.

There is nothing sexualised about this outfit or picture.

Find a better cause to put this energy into OP 😂

Fucking hell. You need therapy.

Try using facts to make your point instead of shaming other women.

It's a pose with sass, with attitude, not a young child in a costume pose, in my opinion.

Wow talk about making something out of nothing!

😂 Bless

I agree, OP. I'll also add I am seeing more and more young girls in SpaceNK trying to conform to beauty standards at the tender ages of 10. they are bombarded with all sorts of imagery and social media crap instead of being allowed to be children.

I agree!

She looks sassy and confident - and witchy! That is all I see

Do you also describe young boys as “sassy”?