Rocker Adam Lambert has defended a J.
Crew layout that features a young boy with painted toenails.
The layout Saturday with Jenna,
which is featured
on the clothing giant's website, includes photos of Jenna Lyons,
creative director for J. Crew, hanging out with her son Beckett. In
one photo, Beckett is seen with his feet in his mother's lap, his
toenails painted hot pink. Under the headline “Quality Time,”
Lyons is quoted: “Lucky for me, I ended up with a boy whose
favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”
The layout riled Erin R. Brown of the
socially conservative group Culture and Media Institute.
“J. CREW … is targeting a new
demographic – mothers of gender-confused young boys,” Brown
wrote at the group's website. “At least, that's the impression
given by a new marketing piece that features blatant propaganda
celebrating transgendered children.”
Lambert, who isn't averse to wearing
makeup and nail polish, blasted the critics.
“Gender confusion?” he tweeted to
his nearly 1 million followers. “I don't think it's that deep –
children should have full freedom of expression. It's everyone else
who's confused.”
“If society didn't work so hard to
reinforce gender role stereotypes we would have a much more
well-adjusted & open-minded future generation,” he added.