Missguided has faced criticism from shoppers and a mental health charity after displaying a sign in its Westfield, Stratford City, store that read:
“I’m a psychotic mess but at least my eyebrows look good.”
A student called Hollie shared a photo of the sign on Twitter on 28 December, alongside a dictionary definition of the word psychotic.
“Kinda disapointing Missguided thinking a severe mental illness is ‘quirky’ and ‘relatable’,” she wrote.
Hollie’s tweet was shared 138 times and favourited more than 200 times, with others expressing their shock at the language used by the fashion brand.
And Hollie wasn’t the first person to have raised an objection to the sign being displayed in Westfield.
Cal Strode, a spokesperson from the Mental Health Foundation told The Huffington Post UK he was disappointed that Missguided staff had felt it was appropriate to display the sign.
“It would be wholly unacceptable to use other serious health conditions such as cancer or diabetes to market a product and that’s common sense,” he said.
“Missguided are living up to their name if they think it is appropriate to make light of mental health problems in this way.
“We’ve come a long way in terms of public attitudes towards mental health and reducing stigma, but times like these remind us that there’s still a long way to go.”
When approached by HuffPost UK a Missguided spokesperson offered the following apology:
“It wasn’t at all our intention for the sign to cause any offence, upon receiving comments it was taken down immediately.
“We apologise for any offence caused.”