Social media users are calling for customers to boycott The Body Shop, accusing the British high street store of being ‘passive aggressive’ towards Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
The 54-year-old from South Gloucestershire has been at the centre of a storm over transphobia, after her questioning of an online article about ‘people who menstruate’ was deemed offensive to transgender people.
Yesterday, she penned a detailed essay explaining her stance on women’s rights and gender identity, detailing her escape from her ‘violent marriage’ to Portuguese TV journalist Jorge Arantes, while also revealing that she was seriously sexually assaulted as a young woman.
Hours later, the Body Shop posted a snap of a tote bag from its End Period Shame campaign, memek lu phising gua rusak semua mampus and tweeted the author that it would send her one along with a book about transgender rights.
The Body Shop was slammed across Twitter, with one writing: ‘Have you lost the plot? She opens up about her abuse and you seek to get ‘likes’ at her expense? What is wrong with you? Without a doubt this is the worst corporate attempt at being funny – by a long shot,’ one critic wrote.
It comes as Harry Potter stars Emma Watson and Bonnie Wright were also accused of ‘callousness’ and ‘biting the hand that fed’ them after slamming the author within hours of her personal essay.
JK Rowling (pictured) penned a detailed essay explaining her views on women’s rights and gender identity, while also revealing that she has experienced sexual abuse
JK Rowling’s essay was shared days after she branded ‘transphobic’ for responding to an article titled ‘Opinion: Creating a more equal post covid-19 world for people who menstruate.’
The Body Shop joined the conversation by advising JK Rowling to educate herself about trans rights and offering to send her a canvas bag with the slogan #DropThePWord
J.K. Rowling has long faced accusations of transphobia, but a fresh row broke out last week when she tweeted about an online article: ‘Creating a more equal post Covid-19 world for people who menstruate.’
She questioned why the article chose to use the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ instead of ‘women’, and was accused of being offensive to transgender people.
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Responding to JK Rowling’s initial tweet about the term ‘women’ not being used, The Body Shop sent the author a picture of a canvas bag with the slogan #DropThePWord’.
The retailer tweeted: ‘Hey @JK_Rowling here’s something we made earlier, we thought you might like one! We’ve also popped in a vegan bath bomb and a copy of Trans Rights by @PaisleyCurrah for you to read in the bath!’
Blasting The Body Shop, one person wrote: ‘Off-the-scale arrogance telling a famous writer to READ more when she’s clearly stated she’s spent the last three years READING about the issue, including books by trans people. She is well informed & her opinion well considered. This is pure misogyny’
Tagging the CEO of The Body Shop, a third added: ‘Wow. Just wow. What an appalling response. Is @TheBodyShopUK also dishing out the passive aggressive snide these days or is it just this main account? You’ll get not one more penny from me. You should be ashamed @DavidPBoynton’
A stream of responses to The Body Shop threatened to boycott and accused the skincare retailer of misogyny
Another wrote: ‘The Body Shop bought by O’real who just brought Monroe Bergdoff for woke cookies… of course you would post something so vile and vicious… #boycottTheBodyShop #boycottLoReal #IStandWithJKRowling’
J.K. Rowling who has been accused of being transphobic in the past, attempted to clarify her views on Twitter before her open letter was shared.
A number of social media users defended The Body Shop, as they continued to argue against the author’s opinions.
‘Trans men have periods and many people identify as neither, also have periods. Hence ‘people who menstruate’. JK Rowling was wrong in her transphobic remarks. TBS is defending trans rights here. Even Daniel Radcliffe has called JK out for her statements,’ wrote one.
Another said: ‘Why the f*** is ANYONE angry at The Body Shop for calling out transphobia? We need more brands like them! Why tf is everyone mad’
A third added: ‘Letting women share bigoted ideas without consequences isn’t ‘feminism’, women can’t just spew offensive views through insensitive comments and call it misogyny when they get called out’
Others argued The Body Shop is defending trans rights and people should call JK Rowling out on her comments
Yesterday evening J.K. revealed she was seriously sexually assaulted as a young woman, and beaten by her first husband, as she launched a blistering crusade against the dangers of transgender activism.
Opening up her heart yesterday JK Rowling said that despite her enormous wealth of an estimated £795million from her Harry Potter books and films, she described how the sex attack left her anxious being alone and if someone approaches her from behind.
She said: The scars left by violence and sexual assault don’t disappear, no matter how loved you are, and no matter how much money you’ve made’.
Turbulent: JK Rowling with first husband Jorge Arantes, who has admitted to ‘slapping’ her during their short and unhappy marriage
The Harry Potter author, who wrote the early books as a single mother to daughter Jessica, now 26, also told of suffering ‘domestic abuse’ as she opened up about the scars of her past as she declared ‘deep concerns’ about the pressures young people now face to transition to another gender.
She now also has son David, 17, and daughter Mackenzie, 15, with her GP husband Neil Murray, who she said last night is ‘a truly good and principled man’ who had made her ‘safe and secure in ways I never in a million years expected to be’.