They found it red berries inappropriately.
For leaving a bad taste in parents’ mouths – by offering a sexually “suggestive” shirt to children – fast fashion retailer Zara has not only apologized, but also pulled the cake topper from its shelves.
“Personally, I’m disgusted,” Laura Wilson, 32, a TikTok aficionado and mother of two from London, said of the $14 petite T-shirt in a viral video.
She further told The Post that the message made her “feel physically ill” and was “totally unnecessary and inappropriate.”
The controversial white crew-neck shirt featured black and red lettering that read “Snack Perfect” on the left chest and “The Strawberry: A Little Burst of Sweet Joy” on the right, as seen in Wilson’s clip.
The back of the problematic piece – which Wilson found hanging in the ‘Girls’ section of her local Zara – read ‘Take a bite’. A burst of sweet delight, making it the perfect summer snack, drizzled under a delicious sliced ​​strawberry.
“It’s just wrong and in plain sight,” a no doubt “shocked” Wilson told a crowd of more than 39,000 virtual viewers on social media.
Zara later apologized for the offending shirt.
“There was no intention for the use of the word ‘snack’ on this T-shirt to mean anything other than the traditional meaning of the word, as evidenced by the image of a strawberry on the garment,” representatives said. Post in a statement.
“However, we now understand that some individuals have interpreted the term differently,” the brand continued. “Therefore, we have removed the t-shirt from our stores and website.
“And we apologize for any misunderstanding or offense caused.â€
Wilson’s disapproval of fruity garnishes is likely rooted in Gen Z’s understanding of the slang word “snack” that refers to a person’s physical attractiveness.
But the millennial mom’s worldwide denunciation drew both support and opposition from a divided audience that couldn’t decide whether her anger was justified or just an overreaction.
“I’m with you, it’s suggestive,” agreed one alarmed viewer in the clip’s comments.
“It’s just a strawberry! Your mind is leading it to the ditch,” said one critic, defending Zara against Wilson’s scathing criticism.
When contacted by The Post, Wilson remained steadfast in her contention that the shirt sends the wrong message.
“I’ve gotten a lot of negative comments from others claiming that kids wouldn’t see the harm in this t-shirt and that’s correct. No child, I hope, would ever see it,” she wrote in a message to The Post. “I’m more worried about those out there who already have a minor attraction and what they would think when they see it written on them.
“It makes me feel physically ill.”
She also clapped back at haters who suggested she was the problem, not Zara.
“There are people who say “I am the problem”, while I believe that the problem lies in society [where] I’m raising my young children where I feel like I have to protect them in any way I can because I don’t feel like my kids are safe, especially where I live in London anyway,” she told The Post, adding that the T-shirt made her feel “extremely uncomfortable for these reasons, and my opinion will not change.”
Wilson also hailed Zara for “rightfully” pulling the shirt, clarifying that “it wasn’t a personal request from me, but I’m glad they did.”
“If it was just strawberries, that would be fine,” she continued. “The wording was completely unnecessary and inappropriate.”
But the fashion chain is no stranger to cyber fire.
In December, the international print, based in Spain, found itself engulfed in the flames of social media fury after launching an ad campaign featuring images of mannequins wrapped in white sheets.
Fault diggers argued that the footage was too similar to the carnage in the Gaza Strip.
Zara immediately withdrew the promotion.
And it’s far from the only fashion brand to be forced to issue a scathing mea culpa for reprehensible content with the green light.
Balenciaga previously made a “wrong choice” by featuring toddlers in bondage-style clothing for a hotly contested 2022 ad campaign.
“This was a wrong choice by Balenciaga, combined with our failure to evaluate and verify the images,” the luxury label confessed in a statement. “The responsibility for this belongs only to Balenciaga.”
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Image Source : nypost.com