A teacher has accused Primark of sexism after spotting a changing room sign which referred to women as ‘girls’ while the male changing rooms were marked ‘men’.
Geography teacher Claire Griffiths, 28, was stunned when she saw the ‘demeaning and infantilising’ signs in the Bolton branch of the budget clothing chain.
The 28-year-old noticed the phrasing while browsing in the store on Monday.
Geography teacher Claire Griffiths, 28, was stunned when she saw the ‘demeaning and infantilising’ signs in the Bolton branch of the budget clothing chain
Ms Griffiths, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: ‘I popped into Primark in Bolton and witnessed this random bit of infantilisation of women – not girls.
‘Girl is not the opposite of man, full stop. It’s a bit worrying, who the hell thought that was okay? It’s stupid.
‘I know it’s only words but it’s semantically incorrect. It surprises me that no one has thought ‘we need to get rid of that’. Is there nobody there thinking that it isn’t right?
‘I just couldn’t imagine putting that sign up, stepping back and not realising it was incorrect. I think if it was the other way around, women and boys, it would stand out more.
Ms Griffiths, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: ‘I popped into Primark in Bolton and witnessed this random bit of infantilisation of women – not girls’
‘We aren’t used to referring to men as boys but we often hear women referred to as girls -such as ‘grid girls’. It’s demeaning and it puts us in a vulnerable position.’
Primark have now apologised for any offence caused by the ‘signage error’ and say they have since rectified it.
Ms Griffiths said that although it wasn’t the ‘biggest deal’ she felt compelled to speak out about the casual sexism and contacted the chain via social media – but claims she is still waiting for a response.
Claire said: ‘It isn’t the biggest deal in the world, there are several more issues that are more important, but if it’s the case that Primark genuinely think this is right then I would take issue with that.
‘I didn’t run away and cry but I look at that and think about the implications it has on a society when a girl is referred to as the opposite of a man.
Primark have now apologised for any offence caused by the ‘signage error’ and say they have since rectified it
‘People tend to get upset when you point out casual sexism. It doesn’t mean I’m really upset or offended by it.
‘I just would really like to know how that ended up there. I genuinely wanted them to give me an explanation – I thought it might have been a mistake but they didn’t reply.’
A Primark spokesman said: ‘We were aware of a signage error in the fitting rooms of our Bolton store, which has since been rectified.
‘Primark aims to deliver a positive shopping experience for all our customers and we are sorry for any upset caused by this error.’