After Twitter users connected the name of a child abuse novel to their account, a store pulled the dress from its website and apologized for the ‘upset caused’
John Lewis has removed a “Lollita”, a children’s party dress, from its shelves following criticisms of the retailer. For PS50, the Chi Chi London “Lollita” dress was available for children aged 3-11 years on the retailer’s website.
It is similar to Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel Lolita about child sexual abuse. It describes how a middle-aged professor exploits a 12-year old girl.
John Lewis previously described the dress as: “This pretty dress features delicate metallic embroidery and scalloped edges… it’s perfect to twirl on the dance floor with a chiffon sleeve with tulle underlay.”
Chi Chi London is a fashion label that stocks its clothes at the department store. The company does not have the dress on its website.
The brand has been contacted by the PA news agency for comment.
Victoria Coren Mitchell, a television presenter, tweeted about the dress to her fans. She stated: “If you had to name a party dress for a child, what would it be called?”
One person replied to her tweet with the following: “That’s gross and vile.” Another added: “I wouldn’t be able to purchase it with that name. It’s crazy to call it this. Although the dress is beautiful, I couldn’t believe it.”
One Twitter user said it was different from the novel because it had two “ls” in the name.
John Lewis spokeswoman said that the product was removed from sale immediately after it was brought to their attention, she added: “We apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
