Kent Live article
A shopper from Dover has expressed her disgust after discovering a T-shirt in Tesco which described a black mermaid's hair as "too fluffy".
Katie Wells, a mum of two daughters, saw the item of clothing whilst shopping with her children at the Whitfield supermarket today (August 7).
The T-shirt on sale used a picture of the mermaid from the popular children’s book ‘That’s Not My Mermaid’ alongside the caption ‘her hair is too fluffy’.
The book, which is written by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Rachel Wells, is on sale via Amazon and is in bookshops. Tesco has since apologised and confirmed they will not be buying any more.
Katie said: “We were walking down the main middle aisle and we saw the set from a distance. I got excited because diversity in clothing is particularly rare.
“I read the text on the shirt and was really shocked. It’s not something any child should read on a t-shirt, and it perpetuates a stereotype – it’s racism.
The book is one of a series of Usbourne ‘touchy-feely’ books, where children can run their fingers along some of the mermaid’s features, in this case her hair.
The notion of touching a black woman's hair is also problematic - with its texture historically being used to justify enslavement.
Katie believes Tesco should not be stocking the product.
She added: “Tesco needs to do better. They clearly need to diversify their purchasing team and be aware of this.
'It is not acceptable and I would like them to remove this T-Shirt from sale in all of their stores'
“It is not a new issue, especially with all that has been in the media recently, ignorance is not an excuse anymore. It makes me feel so sad and angry that this is how black children are growing up.
“All children deserve to see themselves in children’s clothing, books and toys so that they know they are valued and celebrated. Bigger retailers like Tesco have the power to make these things happen, so why aren’t they?
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We remain absolutely committed to ensuring that Tesco is a place where everybody is welcome and apologise for any offence caused.
"We will not be purchasing any more orders of this product."
A shopper from Dover has expressed her disgust after discovering a T-shirt in Tesco which described a black mermaid's hair as "too fluffy".
Katie Wells, a mum of two daughters, saw the item of clothing whilst shopping with her children at the Whitfield supermarket today (August 7).
The T-shirt on sale used a picture of the mermaid from the popular children’s book ‘That’s Not My Mermaid’ alongside the caption ‘her hair is too fluffy’.
The book, which is written by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Rachel Wells, is on sale via Amazon and is in bookshops. Tesco has since apologised and confirmed they will not be buying any more.
Katie said: “We were walking down the main middle aisle and we saw the set from a distance. I got excited because diversity in clothing is particularly rare.
“I read the text on the shirt and was really shocked. It’s not something any child should read on a t-shirt, and it perpetuates a stereotype – it’s racism.
The book is one of a series of Usbourne ‘touchy-feely’ books, where children can run their fingers along some of the mermaid’s features, in this case her hair.
The notion of touching a black woman's hair is also problematic - with its texture historically being used to justify enslavement.
Katie believes Tesco should not be stocking the product.
She added: “Tesco needs to do better. They clearly need to diversify their purchasing team and be aware of this.
'It is not acceptable and I would like them to remove this T-Shirt from sale in all of their stores'
“It is not a new issue, especially with all that has been in the media recently, ignorance is not an excuse anymore. It makes me feel so sad and angry that this is how black children are growing up.
“All children deserve to see themselves in children’s clothing, books and toys so that they know they are valued and celebrated. Bigger retailers like Tesco have the power to make these things happen, so why aren’t they?
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We remain absolutely committed to ensuring that Tesco is a place where everybody is welcome and apologise for any offence caused.
"We will not be purchasing any more orders of this product."
