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Sainsbury's Removes Matilda Mug With 'Insensitive' Quote

Sainsbury's Removes Matilda Mug With 'Insensitive' Quote

The mug caused a backlash from domestic abuse campaigners

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Sainsbury's is removing a mug with the words 'hit her' on it following calls from domestic abuse campaigners.

The blue and white mugs feature a quote from Roald Dahl's Matilda, but without context it simply reads: 'A brilliant idea HIT HER'.

The full quote from the children's story is: "When at last the germ of a brilliant idea hit her, she began to expand on it and lay her plans with the same kind of care the Duke of Wellington had done before the Battle of Waterloo."

It's lengthy, but the intention of the sentence is quite clear.

The mug, which costs £5.50, features a short section of the quote in a variety of different fonts alongside an illustration.

Twitter

One social media user branded the mug 'hugely problematic' and said they hoped to get an apology from the supermarket for the design, while the head of domestic abuse charity Domestic Violence Assist said he was 'horrified' when he saw the item on sale.

Luis Labaton said: "There must be so many quality check processes in Sainsbury's, it's appalling that no-one picked this up.

"It shows just how far from reality they are. It's an insult to victims. This is further evidence that domestic abuse is not understood by so many."

Women's Aid's Ruth Mason, head of Change That Lasts, told The Daily Mail: "We were dismayed to see the Sainsbury's design with the slogan.

"This slogan can be read two ways - and that is the problem.

"It can be read as the author Roald Dahl wrote in Matilda: 'When at last the germ of a brilliant idea hit her'.

"However, it can also be read - as many have noticed and commented on social media - as a trivialisation of the violence that women experience in their own homes.

PA

"The design uses a different font and capital letters for the words 'hit her' which further emphasises the ambiguity.

"In addition, the quote is not in full and out of context.

"Perhaps it would be a 'brilliant idea' to change the design and donate to domestic abuse charities instead."

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "We are apologising to customers for any upset this may have caused and working with the Roald Dahl team to remove the mug from sale while the design is reviewed."

Featured Image Credit: Triangle News

Topics: UK News