A woman called out clothing brands with sexist laundry tags: 'Casual misogyny is problematic'

TikToker Millie Lusson, who goes by the username one.in.a.millie.on on the platform, recently went viral for calling out clothing brands that use sexist laundry tags on their apparel. From tags that read, "Give it to your woman, it's her job," to ones that say, "Or give this to your mom, she'll wash it," she highlighted how casual sexism has been normalized by even the smallest tags on our clothing. Lusson urged clothing brands to change their tags and think more critically about the message they are sending with such archaic ideas. The TikToker also encouraged people to talk about how to erase everyday misogyny in their social circles, Bored Panda reports.

It all started when one of her TikTok videos went viral online. In the clip, Lusson showed how a bunch of clothing brands appeared to be using discriminatory language in their washing instruction labels. Some of the examples she shared included messages such as, "Give this jersey to your woman, it's her job," "If washing becomes completely necessary, then give [this] to [your] momma or girlfriend then go skate," "Blah, blah. F*ck it, just give it to your mother," and, "Dirtry laundry keeps women busy."

Since it was first posted, the TikTok has inspired a fiery debate in the comments section, with dozens of users expressing how they could not comprehend that things like this still happen in this day and age. One user commented, "I find it really ironic that they think they're calling us useless while simultaenously admitting they can't do their own laundry." Another added, "Cooking and cleaning are life skills, not gendered skills, and men need to figure that out. I'm raising my sons to know better!" 

While the TikToker personally believes jokes can be a fun little addition on clothing, she asked brands to reconsider how to make laundry tags funny without using misogyny and sexism. When asked how to remedy such instances, she responded: "I think it starts with education. It takes a lot of work, but learning about diversity, sexuality, and gender identity, and the history and evolution of systems of oppression, is important and necessary work for everyone to take on. And along with that, talking about it with friends, family, and colleagues is a big part of it. It will probably be uncomfortable, but people need to learn to sit in discomfort and grow from it rather than avoid it."

"Casual misogyny and sexism are very problematic, they seep into the vernacular, and with that there is a danger that they become the norm," she added. "Being under the guise of ‘jokes’ does not excuse them and we should not let them slide because of that. Calling it out is a simple good thing that anyone can do." Although social media is one tool to call brands out, sexist ideas of who has to do the majority of the domestic work are still very common. In fact, during the pandemic, women reported that their share of the work load at home increased drastically. In order to combat these atttitudes, we must indeed beging shifting the narrative within our households.