John Lewis, one of the U.K.’s most famous advertisers, had been forced to respond to social media criticism of its latest Home Insurance ad just a few days after its debut.

The ad sees a dramatic little boy dress up in his mom’s clothes, jewelry and makeup, giving a diva-like performance around the house to Stevie Nicks’ track “Edge of Seventeen,” breaking everything in his wake. The kid is (somewhat passively) watched by his sister, who sits there painting, and his mom. 

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The ad was created by John Lewis' longstanding agency Adam & Eve/DDB, which has created all of its famous Christmas commercials since 2011, and directed by MJZ's Tom Kuntz, a top director known for his Old Spice work among other campaigns. 

The trouble started after the ad debuted  on Tuesday during “The Great British Bake Off.” Novelist Lissa Evans was among those who tweeted:

Others then accused the ad of sexism. “The John Lewis advert of a young boy being the centre of attention for trashing everything while his sister obediently sits and paints in a corner is sexism encapsulated in sixty seconds,” tweeted writer and activist Frances Weetman.

By Wednesday, the John Lewis ad was trending on U.K. Twitter. Several people complained about the boy’s “entitled behavior” and one called him "ghastly, destructive and attention-seeking." There were also those claiming that home insurance would never pay out for a child deliberately damaging property while adults stood by and watched. 

That’s something John Lewis addressed in its eventual response to the ad on Thursday, tweeting: “At John Lewis, we believe in children having fun and that’s why we chose this playful storyline for our latest advert. It’s designed to show the young actor getting carried away with his dramatic performance. He is not wilfully damaging his home and is unaware of the unintentional consequences of his actions. If customers have Accidental Damage Cover with our Home Insurance, this would cover a range of major and minor home disasters — including unintentional breakages caused by children in the family.” 

Not all the comments on social media were negative. Stevie Nicks herself tweeted “Love This” about the ad. Others suggested the critics were lashing out on other issues because they really had a problem with a boy in a dress. 

Adam&Eve/DDB is expected to create a Christmas ad for John Lewis once again this year, although the retailer is reviewing its media account, currently held by MG OMD.

There has also been speculation over the future of its blockbuster campaigns; the company has closed around a third of its physical retail stores this year in a large shake-up of its business in the wake of the pandemic, as it moves more retail online, and has seen a number of management changes including the departure of long time marketing chief Craig Inglis.

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