John Lewis has hit back following a backlash over its new home insurance advert.
The ad sees a young boy wearing a dress, heels, jewellery and make up as he trashes the family home.
He can be seen smearing paint on the walls, breaking lamps and throwing glitter in the air during the clip.
But a number of people criticised the advert after it aired during the break for Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off.
Some claimed the advert was a 'sexist' portrayal of boys acting aggressively and girls acting nicely, while others accused it of being 'gender extremism' for the choice of outfit worn by the star of clip.
A number of people also questioned whether or not the incidents portrayed in the ad would actually be covered by John Lewis’ home insurance policy.
One person wrote: “False advertising for a start as @JohnLewisRetail house insurance doesn’t cover intentional damage.”
Another said: “Watched the John Lewis advert that people are talking about. Looks like male entitlement in a dress and make up to me. We’ve been here before, haven’t we?”
A third added: “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.”
John Lewis said that ‘many’ people contacted the department store after the advert went viral over social media.
In response to the criticism, John Lewis tweeted: “At John Lewis, we believe in children having fun and that’s why we chose this playful storyline for our latest advert.
“It’s designed to show the young actor getting carried away with his dramatic performance. He is not wilfully damaging his home and is unaware of the unintentional consequences of his actions.
“If customers have Accidental Damage Cover with our Home Insurance, this would cover a range of major and minor home disasters - including unintentional breakages caused by children in the family.”
The brand also previously stated: “Although many children do dress up and dance around their homes, the advert is a dramatic, fictional story created to entertain.
“We hope our customers will appreciate this ad in the spirit it was intended.”
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