Dragon in sexism row over model doing the laundry in knickers
THE lifesize cut- out of a scantily dressed woman doing the laundry was no doubt intended to be good clean fun.
Not everyone, however, was amused by the window display in a lingerie store owned by former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis.
After one critic called it outdated and demeaning to women, the store has had to apologise.
Boux Avenue says it will remove the display from the shop in Brighton and it will not be repeated across its chain of 28 stores.
It featured a cut-out of a woman in pink knickers, a vest top and high heels standing next to three pink washing machines and a pink laundry basket. A framed image in the background shows a similar scene.
Student Sarah Derby, 23, complained, saying: ‘I understand sex sells but this window displays a picture of women as sexualised domestic beings.
‘They seem to be saying that to be sexy you also need to be able to do the laundry. This isn’t about being prudish but sexuality shouldn’t be linked with domesticity.
‘The implications of women as being nothing more than sexualised domestic beings reinforces anachronistic gender roles of 50-plus years ago. The fact that it is in such a prominent location at the front of the store suggests the minds behind the display put no thought to the implications and are indeed proud to display such ill-thought and outdated ideology.’
In her letter to the company, Miss Derby asked why it had not chosen to display attractive women in the House of Commons, laboratories or succeeding at sport.
She added that the display ‘undermines the respectable and admirable academic, scientific and physical achievements of women’.
But other shoppers questioned whether the display was causing any real harm. One woman said: ‘I think there are probably more important things to get offended by than this. Surely people would be just as offended if they advertised their frilly knickers with MPs in front of the House of Commons?’
Mr Paphitis, 56, who has an estimated net worth of £210million, launched Boux Avenue in 2011. He also owns stationer Ryman and homeware chain Robert Dyas.
A Boux Avenue spokesman said: ‘We attempt to create fun and engaging window displays. But we can see how this concept could be interpreted. We apologise for any offence caused, as this was by no means the effect intended.’