Missguided forced to remove inappropriate 'send me nudes' sign after being slammed by 'disgusted' parents

Fashion brand Missguided has come under fire for displaying 'send me nudes' neon signs at some of their stores.

The trendy clothing brand aimed at teenage girls and young women infuriated some parents with neon signs at their stores that read 'send me nudes x' and has since been forced to remove them following a petition started by parents.

The controversial sign was spotted at their Bluewater Shopping Centre store, in Kent, and anger quickly spread on social media with many asking the brand to take it down.

Rachel Gardner, who started the petition, initially tweeted the picture of the sign with the caption: 'What hope is there for girls when the stores they shop in give them this message? @Missguided it's time to respect girls & remove this sign.'

Others joined in to criticise the brand, saying it's not 'acceptable' or 'appropriate' to have such messaging up in their stores, and demanded they take it down.

One said: 'Is it acceptable for @Missguided in @TweetBluewater to display 'send me nudes' neon sign? Given customers are young teen girls, explain pls'

Another said: '@Missguided_help do you think it's appropriate to have a neon sign saying 'send me nudes' instore? What a message to send girls and women.'

A third tweeted: 'Why @Missguided ru asking girls 2 send u nudes? #RespectGirls! U serve young girls.Remove sign in yr Blue Water store. #Disgustedparent'

In the petition, which gathered more than 8,000 signatures, Rachel explained how the sign could add to the pressure young girls already feel to send nude pictures of themselves and legitimises the 'sexting' culture.

'Teenage girls feel under increasing pressure to create and send nude pictures of themselves. An NSPCC report says teenage girls are most adversely affected by the sexting culture', the petition reads

'Once online, these nude images can be seen and used by anyone, making girls and vulnerable young women the victims of bullying, revenge porn and exploitation. Many of these nude images can even make their way to child abuse websites.

'It is illegal in the UK for nude images of under 18's to be created, sent and shared. 'Send me Nudes' legitimises the culture of sexual coercion that teenage girls and young women experience daily.'

The campaigner went on to ask the fashion brand to 'respect girls' and take down the sign.

'In posting 'Send me nudes' in their store, Missguided are promoting a negative and damaging culture. Instead, they should be empowering young women to value their intrinsic value and express their uniqueness through the art of fashion. So we are calling on Missguided to respect girls and take down their sign.'

Missguided have yet to publicly respond to the controversy, but Rachel has announced in the petition page that they agreed to take down the signs.