A menswear company in China has found itself in hot water over a laundry care tag which allegedly discriminates against women.
“Please give it to your beloved woman, she knows everything,” reads the tag in both Chinese and English.
It does not carry any washing instructions but two QR codes linking to the company’s account on social media.
The item of clothing, a coat, is made by Jiangsu-based Gu Zhuo Kang Zheng Garment Company that owns brands such as Labour Union, according to a report by Lizhi News.
A public backlash began after an internet user posted the tag online and it went viral.
A company spokeswoman known as Sister Yang apologised and said they did not intend to discriminate against women, the report said.
“It is our inappropriate expression, as well as the wrong spelling of some English words, that led to the public’s misunderstanding that we look down on women and we aim to provoke the opposition of the two sexes. That is not our original intention,” she said.
Sister Yang said they had noticed that many customers, male or female, have destroyed clothes made of special material by washing them without following the specific washing instructions.
“Our observations found that some men know little about garment material and washing, while females tend to care about these details. Therefore, we would like to suggest to our customers and the people around them to together pay attention to washing methods
“Due to our insufficient capacity to express ourselves, we did not convey our message correctly. I am very sorry about that,” said Yang.
The news sparked a mixed reaction on mainland social media.
“How come you let your beloved women do the chores for you? This is apparent exploitation. Why not print the complete washing method and add a sentence ‘please finish reading this and learn how to wash clothes for the sake of your beloved person’,” suggested one online observer.
“Which brand is this? Sisters, we should boycott it,” said another.
But some held a different view.
“I do not think there is any problem with the tag. I do not understand how this could cause a confrontation between men and women,” said one internet user.
Another said: “It is not necessary for girls to be so sensitive.”
This care tag evoked memories of similar gaffes.
Tags such as “Give it to your mum and she will wash it”, “give it to your woman” or “give it to your girlfriend” have surfaced in the past.
Controversies involving companies with sexist attitudes often make headlines in China.
Earlier this month, Cha Yan Yue Se, a famous milk tea brand, was slammed for calling delivery workers “brothers” despite the fact that many of its employees are women. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
