The high street retailer has apologised for dismantling a pro-feminist display 20 minutes after it was set up.
Friday was the intended launch of the promotion for the new pro-feminist book, Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies) however the decision was taken to remove the display before the store even opened to the public.
Today sees the release of #FeministsDontWearPink (And Other Lies), a collection of writing from a group of amazing women on what feminism means to them. To celebrate this timely book, we had agreed to host a pop-up with Topshop, with products supporting the UN charity Girl Up. pic.twitter.com/PiGnOsKGXX
— Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) October 4, 2018
Topshop apologised for their actions, but did not justify them saying on Twitter:
.@PenguinUKBooks @scarcurtis @GirlUp pic.twitter.com/jnWx1BLM4k
— Topshop (@Topshop) October 5, 2018
The book’s publisher also took to Twitter to express their dismay and suggested that in a seemingly liberal society, feminism still seems unpalatable to some:
We’re working on finding another place to host our pop-up and the amazing products that support Girl Up. In the meantime, thank you for your support. This book aims to prove that the word ‘feminist’ is accessible to everyone. Today’s events suggest there is still some work to do.
— Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) October 4, 2018
The new book, written by Scarlett Curtis, was published in conjunction with Girl Up, a UN-founded charity that aims to promote gender equality by providing leadership development training courses which help empower young women to pursue positions of power.
The authour was equally disappointed with Topshop’s decision to pull the display and criticised “powerful men” inhibiting the growth of equality:
What makes me most sickened and sad is that a man who clothes an entire nation of teenage girls thinks it’s controversial to fight for the equality of those girls. This is much less about Topshop than it is about powerful men #PinkNotGreen
— Scarlett Curtis (@scarcurtis) October 5, 2018
This is yet another example of businesses afraid to set up their stall and take a political stance for fear of affecting sales. It is frightening to think that feminism is still believed to be controversial in the modern era.
