A display on the window of a Lush Cosmetics store in England is facing backlash for its depiction of a tiger with top surgery scars.
The window painting, made by queer artist Bucky Ringsell, features a tiger with pink, white, and blue highlighted stripes to represent the transgender Pride flag. The words “PROUD OF MY STRIPES” are written next to the whimsical animal. A Facebook post from the Chelmsford City Council celebrating Pride murals and window displays caused the display to go viral.
Julia Hartley-Brewer, an anchor on right-wing British media outlet TalkTV, shared the image on Twitter with her 500,000 followers along with a message of outrage.
On Sunday, June 14, Hartley-Brewer wrote “This is DISGUSTING,” and tagged the highly progressive retailer. “Teenage girls love to shop in your stores and here you are happily encouraging them to CUT OFF THEIR HEALTHY BREASTS in the name of trans pride.” She continues, “This is beyond repulsive. It’s dangerous and sick. No parent should allow their child near your stores.”
Another viral criticism came from Janet Murray, a breast cancer survivor, who claimed that the Pride display made mastectomies “a fashion statement, an identity marker, or something to be celebrated” and requested its removal.
While top surgery and mastectomies are similar, there are several key differences. A mastectomy often includes a removal of all breast tissue, while top surgery leaves tissue in place for aesthetic reasons, with some techniques also leaving the nipple, areola, and nerve structures intact.
The misconstrued correlation of mastectomies vs. top surgery scars continued throughout the week. Most notably in an article posted by The Daily Wire featuring breast cancer survivors sounding off against the Lush pride display.
Ringsell defended the image in an Instagram post on Monday, June 15.
“For some bizarre reason, transphobic nutters have discovered my mural on Lush’s window and called for its removal,” Ringsell—who uses they/them pronouns—wrote, adding that the mural is part of a city-wide campaign.
“I designed and painted this tiger to support and represent trans folks who have undergone top surgery—myself, included. Being proud of your scars (aka stripes) is something everyone can take inspiration from, regardless of your journey,” they write. “Trans bodies are beautiful.”
Lush is widely considered a “woke” or highly progressive company, a label that its co-founder and CEO, Mark Constantine, proudly embraces. The beauty and body care brand is well-known for putting social activism, environmentalism, and LGBTQ+ rights at the forefront of its business model. Most notably, a trans-inclusive campaign that ran after UK Supreme Courts ruled that that the legal definitions of “man” and “woman” are based on a person’s “biological sex” as assigned at birth. In response to the decision, Lush instituted a series of window displays and a bath bomb in the colors of the trans Pride flag, with 75% of the proceeds benefitting two UK-based trans charities—TransActual and My Genderation.
Photos courtesy of social media
