Clothing store, Missguided has come under fire over a “send me nudes” sign.
Campaigners say that the sign sends out the wrong message to young girls and were calling for the neon sign to be removed from Missguided’s stores.
Rachel Gardner, a youth worker, initially tweeted a picture of the sign after her friend, Rebecca Rumsey, sent her the photo while out shopping with her daughter.
What hope is there for girls when the stores they shop in give them this message? @Missguided it’s time to respect girls & remove this sign. pic.twitter.com/0n0RYIIfgG
— Rachel Gardner (@RachelGardnerRA) August 5, 2017
Gardner called for Missguided to remove the sign, saying, “What hope is there for girls when the stores they shop in give them this message?”
Gardner’s tweet prompted outrage on social media with many calling for the sign to be taken down, adding that it was “disrespectful” and “exploitative.”
A petition has also been created to get the sign removed, and has gained over 8,000 signatures.
The petition said, “Teenage girls feel under increasing pressure to create and send nude pictures of themselves.”
“NSPCC report says teenage girls are most adversely affected by the sexting culture.”
“Once online, these nude images can be seen and used by anyone, making giels and vulnerable young women the victims of bullying, revenge porn and exploitation.”
The petition continues, “Send me nudes’ in their store, Missguided are promoting a negative and damaging culture.”
“Instead, they should be empowering young women to value their intrinsic value and express their uniqueness through the art of fashion.”
“So we are calling on Missguided to respect girls and take down their sign.”
As a result of the petition and the complaints via social media, it has been reported that Missguided have now covered the sign, with the intent of removing it.
A spokesperson from Bluewater also responded on Twitter saying the sign had now been removed.
