Twitter And Facebook Campaign Pushes Boots To Remove Sexist Girls And Boy Signs From Toys | HuffPost Life

Boots Forced To Remove Sexist Girls And Boy Signs From Toys

The Huffington Post UK

|

Please, someone find the person responsible for Boots' in-store signage and gently suggest they spend some away from the shop floor. And people's feelings.

Just months after a Mother's Day signage gaff had the high-street chemist making inappropriate present suggestions to customers (nothing says 'I love you, mum!' like condoms and Canesten), the chain has apologised for stereotyping certain toys for boys and girls.

According to the Daily Mail, Twitter user @SeanEGray noticed Science Museum toys being labelled for boys and toy tea sets for girls in a Boots store, and tweeted the image to his followers.

Original image tweeted on April 28 by @SeanEGray

His photo was retweeted by campaigning twitter handle @LetToysBeToys

The group, who are dedicated to "encouraging retailers to stop limiting children's imaginations and interests by promoting some toys as only suitable for girls, and others only for boys" launched a social media against Boots.

They posted @SeanEGray's photo on Facebook and Twitter, while encouraging others to post message on the Boots Facebook page.

Finally, author Megan Peel emailed the director of the Science Museum and made him aware how Boots was marketing toys affiliated with his institution.

The mother of a 10-year-old girl told The Guardian: "He replied within 10 minutes, copying in the head of trading and asking him to investigate immediately. He also mentioned that they had a large festival celebrating women in science recently so he very much sympathised with our concerns."

Peel added: "I find it particularly disappointing that as a science-based company, who employ many female scientists, they chose to label Science Museum toys as 'for boys'."

Boots announced their decision to take immediate steps to remove these signs from store just hours later on its Facebook page.

While chatting on Twitter, Gray told @joisdancing: "All I did was take a photo when I saw something stupid. I'm amazed (and very happy) that it's been spread around so much :)"

Facebook shame: Boots 'dismayed' by reaction to signage

According to @SeanEGray, his one-off tweet may inadvertently have encouraged another nationwide retailer to change its ways.

According to statement on Radio Tees, Morrisons are also planning to remove their gendered toy signs from July :D #fb
— Sean E Gray (@SeanEGray) May 1, 2013

This will come as happy news to the hundreds of individuals who posted messages on Boots' Facebook page supporting the company's decision.

Sadly, this is the just the most recent example of sexist product marketing. *Sigh*

Sexist Stories So Far..

Boots Remove Sexist Girls And Boy Signs From Toys(01 of11)

Just months after a Mother's Day signage gaff had the high-street chemist making inappropriate present suggestions to customers (nothing says 'I love you, mum!' like condoms and Canesten), the chain had to apologise for stereotyping certain toys for boys and girls.Read more here. (credit:@SeanEGray)

Sexy Little Geisha(02 of11)

Type 'Sexy Little Geisha' into the Victoria's Secret search engine and no results are thrown up -- and that's because the lingerie company has pulled their latest Go East collection.Race and pop culture blog Racialicious criticised the underwear retailer's controversial new line for appropriating, sexualising and degrading Asian culture for Western consumption.Read more here.

Floral Kiss Laptop (03 of11)

Blogger Belinda Parmar argues that there is no audience for gender-specific laptops."Clearly the management of Fujitsu believe in this fantasy otherwise they would not have just announced Floral Kiss, the most preposterously stereotypically ultra-feminine computer invented since Look Around You's Petticoat 5."

Sony's Playstation Vita(04 of11)

You can almost hear the sexist cogs turn in the advertising brainstorm for Sony's Playstation Vita as they came up with the four-breasted woman and the titillating slogan: "Two touch screens. Twice the sensation."Speaking to Le Huffington Post, Sony explained the origins of this advert: "It is part of a catalogue distributed at the Paris Games Week and was therefore intended for gamers at the event."Read more here.

Bic For Her(05 of11)

When Virginia Woolf asked for a room of her own, she was of course mistaken.What she needed was a feminine pen, or biro, to help focus her girly mind.Thankfully, pen manufacturers BIC understand the difficulties women face attempting to write 'her story' with male-orientated scribbling implements.So, for a mere £14.83 (slightly less if you're willing to go second-hand...) Amazon.co.uk will sell you a box of 12 BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen - Black.Read more here.

Honda's Car For Women(06 of11)

To add to the never-ending list of ridiculous lady products including Dairy Milk's Crispello sexist chocolate, Bic For Her lady pens and Fujitsu's Floral Kiss, Honda has designed a car especially for women.It's a version of the manufacturers current model, the Honda 'Fit', but with some girly add-ons to make it nicer to use for the fairer sex.Naturally it's pink - the favourite colour of anyone with a uterus - and retails at $17,500. Read more here.

Guess Who (07 of11)

There's nothing we love more at HuffPost UK Lifestyle than people standing up to sexism, especially when that person is just six years old.A week ago, an unhappy primary school pupil complained to her mother that there simply weren't enough women characters in the game Guess Who? (a pressing issue for a young girl who always likes to imagine she's a female character).Read more here.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard(08 of11)

Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, is hard as nails and here's the video to prove it.Tony Abbott, the Australian Leader of the Opposition, was torn to pieces by the PM in a row over sexism and misogyny.The opposition was attempting to pass a motion to fire the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Peter Slipper, who caused outrage last month after sending some rather vile sexist text messages to an aide.Read more here.

Science: It's A Girl Thing Video(09 of11)

A video which has been made to encourage more girls to consider science as a career has been branded "offensive" and "sexist".Science: It's A Girl Thing! is part of a marketing campaign launched by the European Commission in Brussels on Thursday and aimed at fostering female pupils' interest in science and technology.See the video here.

Female Athletes Travel Economy(10 of11)

Sports governing bodies from Japan and Australia are under fire after complaints that male Olympic athletes flew business class to the London Games, while the women sat in the cheap seats.Read more here.

'Crispello' Chocolate Bar For Women(11 of11)

We've said it before and we'll say it again -- gender-specific food marketing is annoying. The Dr. Pepper for men campaign is totally obnoxious; don't get us started on Chick Beer.But if there is any food that is natural to market just toward women, of course it going to be chocolate. There are countless article about why women love chocolate. However, there are also countless articles and accounts of women avoiding chocolate because they want to lose weight.Read more here.

Related

Social Media social media campaign feminist sexist sexism

Suggest a correction

|