Sainsbury’s has apologised for a clothing advert that was heavily criticised online for appearing to ignore women’s safety.
The supermarket said it had axed the in-store poster, which features a woman wearing a £24 wrap dress and reads “For walks in the parks or strolls after dark”.
Social media users pointed out that walking in the dark has proven to be dangerous and deadly for women in the past.
In a viral tweet, which has been viewed more than two million times, Nathalie Gordon wrote: “If you’re a person who likes walking/strolling at night and feel safe doing so, I’m genuinely happy for you.
“But please don’t have a go at people who don’t feel the same.”
She continued: “There are a lot of well documented studies, reports and research that has been done around the safety of women. If you feel like they do not represent your lived experience, then you are lucky.”
One of the many users who replied to Ms Gordon’s tweet said: “A man wrote that, for sure.”
Another added: “Yeah no not happening. I’ve skipped my last train home and made my husband pick me up cos Trainline had me walking a mile in the dark on my todd from one station to another. Let alone strolling in a park in the dark!!”
In response to the backlash, the supermarket told Sky News: “We’re sorry that due to the design, some customers found this sign to be inappropriate and are working to remove these from store.
“We’ll work hard with our agency partner to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
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Women feel less safe after dark
A recent report by the Office for National Statistics found that women feel more unsafe than men across all settings after dark.
The disparity was greatest “in a park or other open space”, where 82% of women reported feeling very or fairly unsafe, compared with 42% of men.
