MUM'S FURY
I was stunned when I saw a sexual top in Zara’s kid’s section – the back was just as bad but people say I’m overreacting
"I am shaken to my core, this is vile," one fellow shopper reacted to the design
ZARA is flogging “vile” and “sexually suggestive” T-shirts to kids, a furious mum has claimed.
Laura Wilson has slammed the Spanish fashion brand after spotting a £10.99 tee that she believes is “vile, grim and not appropriate for a child”.
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The top included a picture of a strawberry with the “the perfect snack” emblazoned on the front and “take a bite” on the back.
Laura, 32, says that the term “snack” is often used to describe someone who “looks good” or to indicate attraction to another person.
She added that seeing it on a child’s T-shirt made her feel uncomfortable, and has since slammed Zara.
The mum-of-two prefaced that she’s “not usually sensitive to things like this” but found the design so “vile” that she couldn’t ignore it.
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The fast fashion tee was spotted while Laura was browsing Zara’s children's section in-store at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent on August 10.
She was “immediately taken aback” by the design and claims the phrasing on the garment is “inappropriate” for children due to its colloquial meaning.
The full-time content creator said she would never let her two children wear the item of clothing and would be concerned if other parents did.
After sharing a video about the item of clothing on TikTok, users were quick to debate whether the top was actually “suggestive” or not.
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While some parents agreed with Laura’s disgust, others claimed she was “overthinking it”.
"I would never have my children in something like that,” Laura tells.
“I thought it was suggestive.
"I turned round to my partner and asked him if I was reading this right, and he agreed that it was awful.
"I did consider whether this is because I'm an overprotective parent, or is it just plain wrong?
"It's very suggestive.
Zara Controversies Throughout the Years
'Concentration camp' tee
In 2014, Zara faced widespread criticism for selling a kid's T-shirt that "resembled a concentration camp uniform". It was a blue and white striped top with a yellow star. The design sparked outrage, with many critics saying "it trivialised the horrors of the Holocaust".
Ripping off small business designs
Zara has been repeatedly accused of copying designs from small fashion brands on social media. In 2016, the brand was sued by multiple independent fashion designers who said their unique designs had been illegally mass-produced and flogged by Zara.
'Gaza' advertisement
In December 2023, Zara was forced to pull one of its advertising campaigns after it sparked backlash from people saying it resembled scenes of death and destruction in Gaza. The promotional images featured rubble, ripped plaster and mannequins wrapped in plastic - with one mannequin being compared to a corpse. It came just two months after the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsened.
“This T-shirt was for a six to seven-year-old and I don't think this is okay.
"Where it says, 'the perfect snack', this is very suggestive.
“You say, 'that's a snack' and that is quite suggestive of an attraction.”
Laura posted a video of the tee to TikTok to gauge fellow mums’ reactions.
"I put the video up to get other people's opinion on it and it's very clear that other people have thought the same as me in these circumstances,” she says.
"There are some people saying that ‘it is just strawberries and just talking about strawberries’ - but the language on the top, I would never have my daughter walking around with 'take a bite' on the back of her T-shirt.
"The majority are in full agreement that it is very suggestive, vile and grim - and it’s not appropriate for a child.”
"If other parents were buying this for their children, I'd be quite concerned. It just makes me feel really, really uncomfortable."
Laura’s video has now been viewed more than 22,000 times and received more than 140 comments.
One TikTok user commented: "You're absolutely not [overthinking it]. How that has got through product development is beyond me.”
Another added: "What the actual f*ck? I am shaken to my core. Zara, do better. This is vile."
However, others were quick to assert that they “don’t understand what is wrong” with the design.
One disagreer commented: "It's literally just a strawberry."
Laura replied: "'The perfect snack' and 'take a bite' - is not just a strawberry. It's extremely suggestive for a child to wear."
Laura said this was the first time she had ever shopped in Zara and after the incident will not be returning to the store.
A Zara spokesperson said: “There was no intention for the use of the word ‘snack’ on this T-shirt to imply anything other than the traditional meaning of the word, as evidenced by the image of a strawberry on the garment.
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"However, we now understand that some individuals have interpreted the term differently.
"Therefore, we have removed the T-shirt from stores and our website, and we apologise for any misunderstanding or offence caused.”
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