Sexist Phrase on "Leave Laundry to Women" Label... Explained as 'Satire of Men'

Mayor of Certaldo, Italy, Criticizes as "Disgusting Act"

Problematic laundry care label that can be interpreted as gender-discriminatory / Photo by Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] An Italian clothing company sparked controversy by attaching sexist phrases to its products.

According to local Italian media such as 'La Repubblica' on the 15th (local time), Giacomo Cucini, the mayor of Certaldo, a city in the Tuscany region of central Italy, recently discovered a sexist phrase on the washing instruction label attached to his pants.

The label contained the phrase in English, "Give it to your woman," which can be interpreted as implying that laundry is a woman's duty.

Mayor Cucini posted a photo of the label on his Facebook, saying, "It's unbelievable."

He added, "It is a sexist phrase and a manifestation of the regressive idea that women are the ones who do laundry and housework. It's disgusting. I deeply regret purchasing such a product," he criticized.

The post shared by Mayor Cucini quickly spread across Italian social networking services (SNS), and as the media reported on it one after another, it sparked public outrage.

As the controversy grew, the company that produced the pants apologized, calling it a "completely inappropriate matter," and promised to collect the products from stores and remove the label.

However, the company explained that the phrase on the label was intended to satirize incompetent men who cannot even do their own laundry, and that there was no sexist intent at all.