John Lewis and it’s ‘gender relaxed’ ad

[SouthernFashionista]

Curious to hear thoughts on the new ad from John Lewis. It strikes me as sinister. Why does a small child have to send out a message of LGBTQ equality? Why is he acting like a drag queen.

@Tavelo

Might go and throw my shoe around the lighting department of JL and when questioned by security just shrug and say 'let life happen'

I shall join you and start chucking glitter everwhere

My DS has dabbled in dresses etc in the past when he was about the same age as this boy. When he wore them he either a) did all the 'sass' and posing, but was also laughing and smiling and clearly having fun with it or b) just got on with his normal activities whilst wearing the dress.

He never acted like this boy was in the advert, that kind of stuff is adult projection isn't it? And he certainly never trashed my house in the name of 'expressing himself', he would have been in for the bollocking of his life!

If the sister had stood up and said 'don't even think about it, punk' when her brother was eyeing up her painting activity as next on his list of things to destroy, people probably would have said she is the miserable 'TERF' who is 'stopping him from being his authentic self'.

I would join you too but it would be some poor cleaner picking up the glitter for the next million years not the idiot higher management who signed off on this travesty.

Its horrible advert.
He's aggressive, bullying, and because he's dressed as a girl of course he has to act like a diva, because aren't all little girls divas (yawn at the tired old drag trope)
Would have been more impressed if he had dressed up as Elsa and accidently made a mess while using his mums make, not this strutting round the house damaging everything and painting trans flag colours on his face, that feels too political.

Maybe smear paint in the kitchen section

@GoldChick

Maybe smear paint in the kitchen section

Maybe smear nail varnish on any nearby banisters? Any art on the walls not nailed down, just swipe them off the walls.

@boogiewithasuitcase

Just watched the ad - clearly the sister isn't allowed to 'let life happen', and instead has to put up with wilful damage to her activities.

Agreed. Surely the cowering and not protesting is a hallmark of another type of abuse? Perhaps others could advise as I'm not trained in this

Is it still being broadcast on television? I saw it on C4 on Tuesday 12th during Bake Off. I know it's online but has anyone seen it on TV since?

@CriticalCondition

Is it still being broadcast on television? I saw it on C4 on Tuesday 12th during Bake Off. I know it's online but has anyone seen it on TV since?

I think that's when we saw it too. No idea if it's been on since because I don't watch much "normal" tv. We stream most tv instead.

This Metro opinion piece doesn't seem to get it either:

metro.co.uk/2021/10/15/the-new-john-lewis-insurance-advert-is-just-that-an-advert-15428452/

I don't understand how people can be so dim or are they really?

In regards to the metro article.....what has any of that advert got to do with homosexuality? Are we saying that's typical behaviour of a gay person? Wtaf. I'm so lost.

That advertisement is a perfect illustration of the problem. If people were allowed to get on with their lives and let transwomen just "be their authentic selves," we'd all be good. The problem is, transwomen being their authentic selves seems to involve an incredible amount of drama followed by wrecking the entire joint.

PrincessNutella You've hit on the point.

The advert was absolutely political and sexualised, with a little boy pouting and painting trans colours on his face whilst well behaved women watch on and do nothing as he wrecks the house (the boy knows full well that this is unacceptable behaviour in the home at his age and is analogous to wider society.)

What wasn't clear is whether John Lewis supports the trans or terf agenda in putting this out. It was either in support of it because showing these images pushes and normalises the agenda to people watching the advertisement, or a comment that we need to stop standing by and watching our rights trampled to the ground (which incites division.) Either way every institution is getting political when they should be getting on with selling their product and doing their jobs frankely.

I raised a formal complaint as many have done, because this kind of advert should be after ther watershed, or ideally not put on television at all by a family orientated company. I found it incredibly worrying and innapropriate; destruction of property is against our societal values and that's the point:- totalitarian socialism is what identity politics aims to achieve.

It's just wrong all around really and as a parent I worry that adults are no longer protecting children, they just want to mould them to their agendas.

Not my child.

The worlds gone absolutely mad as if you'd let your child destroy the places, no wonder we are in the state we are in a lot of children of this generation think they can do as they like, there is no deterrent, not scared of their parents or police or anything. X

When I asked the local Waitrose manager about their toy aisle being split rigidly between girls and boys and reinforcing all sorts of unhelpful stereotypes, they were not at all receptive. So difficult not to suspect this is a bit of bandwagon jumping by the JL marketing people?

Why is the boy dressed like a drag Queen? This is Stonewall's fault isn't it?

@MargaritaPie Yes I just checked and John Lewis are a Stonewall partner. It's so ironic that huge capitalist organisations are pushing identity politics for a socialist (perhaps even communist) agenda, which would see everyone eqully poor on a living wage and destroy the systems that allow people to purchase assets in their stores.

Sex matters are writing to many organisations, some are pulling out and others aren't. Trans persons already have rights in the UK in the form of the GRC. They may get a diagnosis of Gender dysphoria and legally change sex after 2 years living socially as the other gender! This is all gender self ID, a money maker for Stonewall and highly political.

You wouldn't allow any other condition to self identify and give them legal rights ie I'm Autistic today give me disability allowance, so why gender? It's all going too far and different 'marginalised groups' are stepping on each others toes to the expensive of our children.

Children shouldn't be involved on any of this, It's s indoctrination.

I am worried about PHSE which is compulsory now and teaches gender diversity as fact. It's actually ideology and not based in biological fact. I respect everyone's differences though forcing it on our children is devious and undermines us as parents.

@agedmother

When I asked the local Waitrose manager about their toy aisle being split rigidly between girls and boys and reinforcing all sorts of unhelpful stereotypes, they were not at all receptive. So difficult not to suspect this is a bit of bandwagon jumping by the JL marketing people?

Toy shops in the UK haven't had "boys" and "girls" sections for decades

Yes, that's what I thought Kimikos - a travesty to see all of the crafts kits in the 'girls' section of the aisle.

Research on gendered toys/retail from 'let toys be toys' (2016)

'Our mystery shoppers looked at stores across the UK to see how toys were presented. They found only two stores using ‘Boys Toys’ and ‘Girls Toys’ signs. We’ve gone from 50% of the shops we visited in 2012 having these signs to virtually none.'

www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/research/2016-research/

Went in the Lego shop today and it was very definitely boys vs girls. Even got asked by the sales assistant which one we were looking for... I was a bit

You should have just chucked the Lego all over and expressed yourself. Perhaps you could have thrown some at some little girls, Life is for living you know.

I'll admit that I've not read the whole thread. I may even have posted already because this advert has left me absolutely speechless. It's wrong on so many levels including least of all the insurance cover they are offering.

But having had the ad thrown at me so many times on so many platforms, I just want to say how fabulous and talented the young actor is. He has really embraced what the directors obviously asked of him. He's fabulous.

Very odd advert not endearing and the behaviour at that age would be very strange. That's a projection on to a child if ever I saw one, the people that put that together know nothing about children or families

@PrincessNutella

That advertisement is a perfect illustration of the problem. If people were allowed to get on with their lives and let transwomen just "be their authentic selves," we'd all be good. The problem is, transwomen being their authentic selves seems to involve an incredible amount of drama followed by wrecking the entire joint.