Why are Primark promoting "Found Family"

[WandaWomblesaurus]

www.primark.com/en-us/a/inspiration/special-occasions/celebrating-found-families

"A Found Family Is About Finally Feeling Whole, Something That Might Be Absent In Your Biological Family, Like A Full Set Of Acrylic Nails Or A Good Pair Of Fake Lashes. It’s A Community You Choose, Whose Values And Honesty Speak To Your Own."
- Jude & Michael, Germany

What???

Why not?

Why would a store promote a narrative that a “found family” is better than a biological one?

It doesn't seem like they're saying found families are 'better' but rather acknowledging that these types of families exist and should be celebrated too!

It's also worth noting that 'found families' are for heterosexual people too, people don't all get on with their blood relatives and find new families with other people that can support them.

Isn't that what used to be called "friends", back in the dark ages?

The "equivalence" of fake nails and false lashes with honesty is hilarious.

Why would a store promote a narrative that a “found family” is better than a biological one?

Why not?

Plenty of posts on MN about awful biological family members.

Like A Full Set Of Acrylic Nails Or A Good Pair Of Fake Lashes.

Lol wtf does this have to do with it?

Why would a store promote a narrative that a “found family” is better than a biological one?

I don't know what this 'found family' really is about or what they're promoting but a family you choose can be better than the one you were born with. I doubt they'd be saying it's in everyone's case though.

Never bought from them and I'm glad. What a load of old crap.

Because feeling nice and fuzzy inside is better than hard thinking.

Relying on the fact we all know that some biological families are utter crap, we can now advocate to everyone that any community that strikes your ego constantly is your family.

Not content with transing gay, lesbian and autistic kids...all I see here is ND Family.

Neurodiverse kids are next on the list.

Grim

I’m struggling to get my daughter to see sense after she has run off with a glitter family - who normalise medicalisation- their daughter took puberty blockers at 15 and is on testosterone still, at 18.
this is so not something to encourage or normalise! As a pp says, Jefferey marsh ! Dr X!
we are not the only ones - as soon as your child mentions that they are trans they are encouraged to think you are transphobic and to leave for a found family.
primark seems to be encouraging found families as being trendy. It’s just not as innocuous as it first seems.

There’s nothing really wrong with the concept of ‘found family’. As pp says, sometimes biological family is a bit shit, sometimes you meet friends who do become like family.

The problem with this in the context of gender identity is that the ideology seems to be particularly keen to separate kids from their families. If a child/teenager declares themselves trans, then any parent suggesting they wait and see how that plays out before heading down the (sometimes catastrophic) route of drugs and surgery is declared a transphobe and a bigot. Having painted the parents as monsters, the child/teen is then encouraged to cut ties as much and as quickly as possible. There are real live examples being described on MN right now, and plenty of articles about families this has happened to. In that context, celebrating ‘found families’, especially for children and young adults sounds a lot like trying to lever them away from any adults who might try to protect them. Not really a great brand value.

If you near london, KJK is planning a demo outside Primark in London in the coming week or so.

<HagoftheNorth waves at Moomoola> 👋

Exactly!!! God, I'm feeling more ancient by the day.

Hi hag 😀that was beautifully and succinctly put.!
Thanks alisondonut I don’t, unfortunately but think this certainly deserves as much awareness as possible - and a trip.

I see that they are also promoting ILGA. From 2021:

ILGA Feminist Declaration & Stonewall. Lowering the age of consent to 10? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4215949-ILGA-Feminist-Declaration-Stonewall-Lowering-the-age-of-consent-to-10

4w.pub/lesbians-vs-pedophiles/

"Last March, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (known as ILGA in its short form) co-sponsored a declaration which included a demand for the reform of laws which limit the "recognition" of an adolescent’s "agency" to consent to sex.* An "adolescent," by international standards, is a youth of 10-19 years of age.

This declaration, and its stuffed-in mandate, flew relatively under the radar, with very few activists groups or media outlets catching the sneaky addition buried on page 5 among a host of other, more reasonable, demands.
This is not the first time the ILGA has pushed to expand access to minors for sex. In fact, the last time such a thing had happened was in the 1990s, and the ILGA was expelled from its consultative status with a UN body for having ties to NAMBLA – the North American Man-Boy Love Association. NAMBLA is the oldest organized "pedophile rights" group in the world.
In the midst of the gay liberation movement, NAMBLA managed to be accepted by mainstream gay activist organizations...
...until the lesbians fought them off."

There is an agenda to separate children from their families. My daughter is a gnc lesbian and autistic. Well she was until she came out as trans as she believed she couldn't be a lesbian as she wasn't feminine enough. We are still close but have to tip toe around the issue. My heart goes out to @Moomoola There but for the grace of the gods go I.

I feel such anger as by now my daughter should be able to be an out and proud lesbian. We could have ripped apart sexist stereotypes and normalised same sex attraction. I am so disappointed in the organisations I used to support.

Rex you are so well-informed on this, and always to the point and well referenced, thankyou.

Every third film and TV show out of Hollywood over the last decade seems to have had a strong message about "Found Family". Especially anything of the comic book / superhero / fantasy genres. Like someone above said, by itself it's not a bad message though it's weird we no longer just call that friends, but messaged like crazy and in the context of trying to replace your actual family for the sake of political marketing, it's unsettling.

Like it or not but family is one of the foundational units of society and it has long been targeted overtly or otherwise by authoritarians. I find stores actively pushing stuff like this very creepy and suspicious. The messaging is very clearly "your family don't accept you. Find a new one. Our one." Isolating people from their family and surrounding them with a new set of people with the values you want is cult behaviour.

Primark should stick to what it knows best - selling very cheap, very poor-quality clothes. All these companies trying to lecture their customers (looking at you, Innocent smoothies): nobody likes your attempt at virtue signalling.

I’ve heard this discussed as a method to move children away from a safeguarding source so the ‘new family’ is welcoming and non-judgemental while the ‘old family’ is boring, too cautious, not willing to listen. This tactic is also used in cults.

Interesting point, @RudsyFarmer .