Mum calls out Primark for ‘awful sexist’ messages on children’s clothes

Primark has faced the wrath of mums online this week for its allegedly ‘sexist’ approach to its children’s clothing range.

Teacher and novelist Kate Long took to Twitter this week to question why the retailer’s clothing range for children features an array of ‘hugely sexist messaging’, sharing photos of the tops in the girls and boys’ section of Chester’s Primark to prove her point.

She pointed out that the girls’ tops featured slogans such as: ‘Be kind’, ‘Kindness always wins’, ‘Grateful, humble and optimistic’ and ‘Be good, do good’.

Meanwhile, the boys’ clothes featured more ambitious sayings such as: ‘Change the game. Rewrite the rules. Go for it. Born to win’, ‘You Are Limitless’, ‘More Power!’ and ‘Explore. Nothing holding you back.”

Kate wrote: “Can anyone spot a difference in tone here? A difference in the narrative? Boys are awesome in themselves and don’t need to consider anyone else.

“Boys are about doing and girls are about feeling. Boys take what they want; girls consider others. The message to little girls is to be compliant and passive.

“Always think of others. Put on a pleasant, smiling face, for that is your job in the world.

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“It’s incredibly sexist and outdated and unhelpful to both boys and girls. Stop telling girls their place is to serve others! Stop telling boys they should have nothing to do with kindness and love!

“What are you, a throwback to the 1950s??”

Other mums were quick to agree with Kate’s stance on the matter, with many saying they had noticed the gender division themselves.

One woman wrote: “This is such an important thread! Unconscious bias is everywhere! I spent my whole childhood pushing against traditional ‘girl stuff’. I’m 43! I can’t believe this is still the state of it.”

Another noted: “We really need the high street to think about the expectations these messages set. Why not have all these messages across all the clothes?”

Primark has since addressed the topic, saying in a statement that ‘inclusivity really matters to us.’ The statement continued to state that Primark sells a ‘broad range of styles’ and that it had removed gender-specific labels on its kids and baby ranges in recent years.

The statement concluded: “However, we are always learning, we welcome customer feedback and will continue to look at where we can do more.”