Disgusting ad, Pepe Jeans. Can't sell sexism to kids
What is Pepe Jeans trying to prove by tacitly forcing a "little brat" out of her football jersey and shorts to fit into a "little lady"-like denim dress and ballerina flats? Is this how we give our kids a "makeover"?
The sexual apartheid of the clothesline that apparel brands mostly uphold and very rarely challenge has been pushed to its limit by this well-known denim and casual wear brand by its ridiculous prettification drive. A print ad from Pepe Jeans asks us to "give our children a makeover" by robbing her of the million-watt bratty smile she sports in the loose tee and printed shorts, posing in full self-confidence to take on the big, bad world with her devil may care innocence.
Instead, Pepe Jeans wants us to clothe our little darling in a prim denim kiddie dress, stitched for the "princess", complete with ballerina flats, hair neatly tied up into a clipped pony, and generally being the obedient little Cinderella who wouldn't ask any unsettling questions.
 |
| From football jersey and shorts to denim dress and ballerina flats: our girls can do without being told how to look like a 'little lady' by Pepe Jeans. [Photo: Facebook] |
Exactly who would prefer the tidied up "doll" on the right to the bubbly, effervescent natural stunner on the left is hard to comprehend.
No wonder then, that Pepe Jeans is drawing flak from social media for trying to brainwash our kids to help its own sales. Who needs these before and after pictures that target children and put them into predesigned boxes to fit society's moribund expectations?
How do these brands allow for gender stereotyping when they have ample opportunities to break the mould, challenge the sartorial status quo and generally make the revolution more diversely stitched?
Watch: Don't miss three of the best schools in the country locking horns for the grand prize