John Lewis has been forced to defend a new TV advert showing a boy dancing in his mum's dress, make-up and jewellery.
The retailer was accused of sexism after its home insurance advert was shown on YouTube and during breaks of The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4.
In the minute-long clip, the boy wears a long dress as he rampages around the house to the Stevie Nicks song Edge of Seventeen.
He knocks over vases and paint pots, and throws glitter into the air before the advert ends with the slogan "Let Life Happen".
Some viewers accused John Lewis of "agenda pushing", and others claimed the commercial "sexualised" children or perpetuated sexist stereotypes of boys playing aggressively and girls behaving nicely.
The advert was also accused of promoting the idea of children wanting to be transgender.
One social media user wrote: "The John Lewis advert of a young boy being the centre of attention for trashing everything while his sister obediently sits and paints in a corner is sexism encapsulated in 60 seconds."
Another added: "I saw sexualisation of a male child imitating OTT feminised posturing, who was also acting like a bully and vandal."
John Lewis was also criticised over the apparent suggestion that the mess created by the boy could be fixed under its insurance policy.
The retailer's accidental damage cover "means sudden, unexpected and visible damage which has not been caused on purpose", some viewers pointed out.
But others gave the advert positive reviews.
Nicks, 73, backed it, writing on Twitter : "Love this!"
A John Lewis spokesman defended the advert.
He said: "Our advert is a fictional story showing our main character getting carried away dancing to his favourite song.
"This time it features a boy because last time we used a girl."
