A popular Australian sleepwear brand has removed a boys jumper from its latest collection after a concerned mother complained the clothing item contained a “sexist statement”.
Peter Alexander removed the offending jumper, which featured the slogan, “Boys will be boys”, after Melbourne mother Bridie Harris spotted it in store before later making a complaint to the company on social media.
“Boy won’t be boys. Boys will be held accountable for their actions,” Harris wrote on the store’s Facebook page. “I hate to see an Australian store, who makes such great pjs, put such a sexist statement on a [t-shirt] intended for young boys. Excusing boys of their behaviour is not a step in the right direction. It’s 2018.”
The company were quick to respond, stating that they had decided to stop selling the garment. “We do not tolerate the behaviour that is being associated with this slogan. In the light of your feedback, we have decided to withdraw this item from sale,” the company wrote.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Harris said she was happy with the outcome because the phrase had the connotation that “men get away with stuff just because they are boys”.
“It gives [boys] an excuse for inappropriate behaviour. If a girl hurts someone or does something, you never hear someone that says girls will be girls,” she added.
While the decision to remove the jumper was welcomed by Harris, the choice triggered a mixed response online, with some arguing there was “nothing inappropriate” about the garment.
One user wrote: “My family will never buy your product again after this latest gutless effort. Man up and bring back the pjs.”
Another added: “Really sad that you caved to the minority and pulled those adorable PJs off your shelf …;Australia, the country where boys can’t be boys and it is a crime to be a man. So sad, people need to get over their PC rubbish!”
It comes after the LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer) community pushed for gender-neutral toilets to be installed in all public and commercial buildings across Australia.
And in May the Herald Sun reported that some Victorian councils are auditing libraries, schools and kindergartens to ensure books, games and discussion in order to better promote gender equality.