Trendy pram firm in sexism row over baby strollers for girls aged three
THEIR pricey prams have carried the future King as well as countless broods of celebrity offspring.
But a range of toy prams branded Play Like Mum has led to upmarket buggy maker Silver Cross being accused of ‘innate sexism’ and taking Britain back to the 1950s with.
The doll buggies, which cost around £300 to £400, are designed to look like the Silver Cross range, costing up to £3,000, that is popular with royals and stars.
They are aimed three to seven-year-olds. But photographs promoting them at their launch on Tuesday featured only girls, sparking accusations they reinforce gender stereotypes. Supernanny Jo Frost tweeted: ‘Dads are parents too – not babysitters!’ One parent wrote on social media: ‘The dark ages are calling, they want their attitude to women back.’
Others remarked, ‘Their aim is to “help children play like mum”. Have we gone back to 1957?’ and ‘This feels innately sexist.’
One mother added: ‘My little boy likes to #playlikemum cooking, sweeping, feeding babies. I don’t feel your campaign reflects or even acknowledges little boys.’
Let Toys Be Toys, which lobbies for firms to promote all toys and books to boys and girls, said the marketing was ‘surprisingly out of step with the massive shifts in parenting over the past decades’.
Last night Silver Cross, whose prams were used by the Duchess of Cambridge for Prince George, as well as by stars including Geri Halliwell, Charlotte Church, Lily Allen and Heidi Klum, insisted that Play Like Mum is an independent firm licensed to manufacture toy prams bearing its brand.
‘Their business operations are independent,’ a spokesman said. ‘Silver Cross has no influence on the marketing activity executed by the Play Like Mum business.’ A spokesman for Play Like Mum denied sexism, saying: ‘We believe passionately in the role that everyone within the family – dads, grandparents and mums – plays.
‘But we celebrate the special relationship between a mother and her children. We believe that celebrating mum as a strong, multi-tasking hero both at home and at work is a positive thing.
‘We know that every small child wants to copy what mum and dad do, and our brandnew collection means that both little girls and boys can push around a doll’s pram that looks just like the pram that mum and dad push around.’