Next has come under fire for selling a long-sleeved T-shirt proclaiming ‘Happy girls are the prettiest’, targeted at girls aged between three and 16.
The quote is a shortened version of a famous comment by Audrey Hepburn. ‘I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong,’ she said. ‘I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.’
While the sentiment is well-meaning, some have argued that it implies unhappy girls are unattractive, putting pressure on children and young teens who suffer from mental illnesses.
Twitter user Eleanor Pugh-Stanley was the first to highlight the negative implications.