A children’s publisher has bowed to pressure and pulped remaining copies of a puberty guide for boys that claimed girls have breasts for ‘feeding babies and looking grown-up and attractive’.
Growing Up for Boys by Alex Frith, published in 2013, promises to ‘prepare boys for what to expect from puberty.’
But it sparked outrage among social media users after a blogger posted a page on Facebook which reads: ‘Girls have breasts for two reasons. One is to make milk for babies.
‘The other is to make the girl look grown-up and attractive. Virtually all breasts, no matter what size or shape they end up when a girl finishes puberty, can do both things.’
The extract reads: ‘Girls have breasts for two reasons. One is to make milk for babies. The other is to make the girl look grown-up and attractive’
The extract was posted by Simon Ragoonanan who said: ‘The problem is that the book is saying that looking attractive and grown up is a key purpose of the breast’
The extract was posted by Simon Ragoonanan who blogs at Man vs. Pink, ‘chronicling the fun and games of a geek father, his fangirl daughter, and their ongoing struggle against pinkification’.
He wrote on Facebook: ‘The problem is that the book is saying that looking attractive and grown up is a key purpose of the breast.
‘It’s like saying the same about a woman’s legs. Nothing wrong with finding them attractive – and I do – but it’s not their ‘purpose’ to make a girl/woman look attractive or grown up.
‘We have legs to stand, walk and run on. We (probably) have 2 legs so our hands are freed up for whatever our ancestors used them for. Their perception in any sexual desire is secondary and certainly not their purpose.’
His followers were quick to comment, labelling the book ‘Outdated sexist rubbish’.
Nadia Elhaggagi wrote: ‘Usborne are serial offenders for girls v boys products. But never seen anything as bad as this.
‘Breasts are not there for boys’ pleasure. And how awful for early developer girls if this is what their male schoolmates are being taught.’
However some defended the book, saying the claim was ‘factually accurate’.
Growing Up for Boys by Alex Frith, published in 2013, promises to ‘prepare boys for what to expect from puberty’
The book offers boys advice on what they can do to cope with the physical, psychological and emotional changes through puberty.
Topics covered include girls, body image, sex and relationships, self-confidence, drink and drugs, exam stress and cyberbullying.
Usborne Children’s Books have since offered a full apology and promised to destroy remaining copies and revise the content for reprinting.
Usborne said in a statement: ‘Usborne always strives to create meticulously researched and carefully written material for children and young adults, and communicate issues in as appropriate a manner as we can.
‘But in this instance, we recognize that we have made a mistake. For this we apologise and reiterate that the material will be revised. Our remaining stock will be removed from the warehouse and pulped.
‘This particular chapter aimed to explain and demystify to boys what girls go through at puberty, and to promote mutual respect and understanding.’