Teen writes scathing letter to newspaper for its perspective on parental gender roles

"Surely it is not only mums who care about babycare products."
 By 
Chloe Bryan
 on 

Even the most famous newspapers could use a little help from our wise teens.

Fourteen-year-old Anna Schleiter Nielson, from Oxford, England, noticed an article from the Financial Times that reflected an outdated perspective on gender roles in parenting. 


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The article, which focused on Johnson and Johnson's upcoming brand relaunch, was originally titled "Millennial mums going gaga for organics spark J&J rethink."

But Nielson noticed the headline failed to mention dads — who are, of course, also parents.

"Surely it is not only mums who are concerned about babycare products, but also fathers, who might be offended that they are not mentioned," Nielson wrote. "It is 2016 and parenting is generally regarded as a shared responsibility."

"Could I suggest that you bring your editorial policy up to date?" she added.

So far, it appears that the Financial Times is listening. Not only did the paper print Nielson's letter in a later issue, but a newer version of the article posted to its website also bears the far more inclusive headline "J&J to relaunch baby brand as millennials go organic."

And that's the sneaky power of a letter to the editor.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.


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Chloe Bryan

Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.

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