It’s official; Marks and Spencer have fallen, the sequel.......

[MrsSnippyPants]

First thread getting full and and I continue to be interested in responses received to people’s emails and store visits.

Gender means nothing and it’s not the same as sex, therefore irrelevant.

And still gender became the number 1 most important issue right now that's influencing companies, universities, sports and laws massively.

And changed MN's talk guidelines.

Not only am I not interested in the "whole selves" of my colleagues, I don't much want them knowing about mine either. Leave me alone, nosy bastards! Mind your own business!

Photos on the desk is fine, and if someone asks and you don't mind explaining who the people in them are by all means do so, but the whole idea that everyone at work needs to know all about each other is unprofessional. If you actually want to get to know any of your coworkers better - them specifically as individual people - you can arrange to go out for lunch/for a drink. And then go right back to being professional and doing your jobs when you get back to work.

Just browsing the tweets responding to M&S's Christmas advert.

Dozens and dozens and almost exclusively about changing rooms. Deary deary me

I was passing through Victoria Station late last night on my way home, and strongly tempted to buy a treat from M&S.

But no. I was strong. Fewer calories consumed and a bit less money spent. Hopefully it will all add up one day. Similarly with M&S. My decision will have had no impact at all on their profit margin, but one day that decision and others will add up.

I have barely glanced at their Christmas ads. They are not interested in me as a customer. I am not interested in them.

Wonder why she’s trying it on at home?
Yes, great comments.

yet I still struggle to get around their stores because basic things like how close rails are together are still not looked at

I think that Akire has hit the nail on the head here. The toilets/changing rooms thing has become so controversial because there is so little investment in making real changes that might involve spending money, such as adding new neutral spaces etc. But changing the sign on a loo door costs almost nothing and gives you lots of fluffy kudos.

If you believe that transwomen use the women’s fitting rooms because they feel unsafe in the men’s, then how does making all changing rooms mixed sex help anyway ? They will then still be changing next to men.
This is letting any man at all into a female space, we have seen on the thread comments by staff saying no, not the case, that they will only let males in if they are wearing “women’s clothing”.....I normally wear trousers, should I only be allowed in the Men’s rooms ? Will they only let me in if I wear “women’s clothing” ? It is a nonsense that makes it clear they can tell perfectly well what sex someone is. As if males can magically become women by some mysterious essence leached out of dresses or tights.
They have to let any man in, or none, so any man will be able to come in, and we all know what sort of man will be keenest.
I agree that women would then be safer in the men’s, with all the men who don’t want to change alongside women, O the irony.

I wonder if all the women sitting outside the men’s changing rooms would mind if a pretty young woman waltzed in with a selection of lacy bras, saying how comfortable she feels trying them on there.

So many ways to mess with people’s minds. Wouldn’t it just be simpler if the women change in the women’s, the men in the men’s, it seems to have worked really well like that forever. I can imagine a serious discussion taking place at board level in 2025 or thereabouts as the penny finally finally drops.

Well I need to go to regent st after work. If I’m feeling brave I might wander into M&S.

So -
Men’s dept with lacy scanty panties
Men’s with men’s clothes
Ladies with men’s clothes (including y-fronts and string vests)
Men’s with selection of cartoon PJs and discounted Halloween costumes from the kids dept?

M&S twitter feed with their Christmas ad is a thing of beauty - comment after comment telling M&S to pack it in and that they won’t shop there until changing rooms are single sex.

Hahahahaha! Maybe they have a Trendy ‘Mother Christmas’ if you know what I mean 😉

They are only replying to tweets liking the ad, and deliberately misunderstood one post re halal meat, with the “other retailers are doing it, Mum” response.
Totally ignoring every single woman on the thread. Well, if they really don’t want my money, there are other shops.

And as a couple of women have pointed out on twitter, their ad features a song with the lyric "If your girl steps up, I'm smacking the ho"
Nice message M&S!

Looking at that twitter thread, the impact of their decision about men in women's changing rooms has really had an impact - and women aren't happy.

women aren't happy

But they don't care. Which is a repeated pattern in these things.

I've just bought my DC new uniform from JL. Similar price, better service. I usually buy from m&s. I won't be buying a damn thing from them until they fix this but I suspect they've drunk all the cool aid so bye bye.

A link for anyone looking for the Twitter thread:

twitter.com/marksandspencer/status/1192698267340926976

Good grief. Those comments.....

Yet all ignored...

Maybe Victoria McKenzie-Gould, Corporate Communications Director, is 'out of the office'...?

I wonder what the women on the ground ignoring these tweets actually think.

The twitter thread wow! There must be plenty more non binary people about they still don’t have place to go, or difficult choices to make.

This is why a third space for those not sure where to go those who’s gender identity does not match physical body. Then everyone would be happy.
If you really want to balance up the rainbow then why just make changes for trans community and not Everyone else? How can ignoring non binary or those want same sex be inclusive in any way?

Though of course one group is denying gender exist and one group is certain of their gender identity and needs so I do understand how that’s going be tough one to pull off.

He/she/they won’t be driving the twitter account.

It will be some poor slob in the marcomms team who isn’t paid enough to get into a twitter storm (‘I only thought I’d be tweeting about cakes and vests!’)

I realise it’ll be minions not bosses. I’m wondering off the record what they themselves think.