Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp sparks controversy over Lidl's ‘sexist’ children’s pyjamas

Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp has sparked controversy on social media after calling out Lidl over ‘sexist’ children’s pyjamas.

The actor, who plays Nicola Rubinstein in the soap, took to Twitter to complain about the 'sexist' pyjamas, which suggest girls need their dad to be their superhero, while boys can be their own heroes.

'Oh hey @LidlUK... boys can be their own superhero but girls need their daddy? These pajamas should be put to bed', she wrote on social media, alongside a picture of the blue and pink pyjama sets.

The post in which she slammed the budget brand for reinforcing gender stereotypes got a mixed reaction on social, with many of her fans agreeing with Nicola but others slamming her reaction.

One said, agreeing with the Corrie newcomer: 'I can't believe these products still get the go ahead and are actually printed and sold.'

Another wrote: 'This LITERALLY says boys can be powerful and independent while girls rely on men. Ppl who can't see an issue are willfully ignorant.'

A third added: 'Unacceptable message you're giving to kids @Lidluk Have a girl and a boy model both of them in the cover picture.'

However, others did not agree with the star who raised this as an issue, saying that parents who don't agree with the message can buy pyjamas for their children somewhere else.

One wrote: 'Mate there thousands of places you can buy pyjamas, no ones forcing anyone to buy them, you lot really have that much of boring lives?'

A second added: 'They're kids pyjamas..........please stop the world I want to get off. I understand you are pushing for equality but kids pyjamas??'

Others added that parents could ignore the packaging and buy the boys' version for girls, and vice-versa: 'If you ignore the wrapping on the package anyone could wear the pjs. A little girl could wear the Be Your Own Hero pjs.'

Another user wrote: 'If you use common sense & just buy the one the kid prefers to wear, there would be no need to act like a snowflake.'

Following the debate on social media, a spokesman for Lidl told the Manchester Evening News: 'As part of our middle aisle offering we sell a wide variety of children’s products throughout the year on a 'whilst-stocks-last' basis, including a range of styles designed to provide our customers with a variety of choices.

'Both of these pyjamas have been popular with customers and were certainly not designed to offend.

'Customer feedback is incredibly important to us and we will ensure that this is taken into consideration for future collections.

Do you think Lidl's pyjamas are sexist or not? Let us know in the comments!