Myer have responded to the controversy. Photo / Supplied
Myer have responded to the controversy. Photo / Supplied
Myer has hit back at critics after Reddit users accused the department store of lacking diversity among its male underwear models in a viral thread.
"Something positive is going on at Myer, but seems half [the] marketing dept didn't get the memo," the initial post read, alongside a screenshot of Myer's website.
While the female lingerie and sleepwear models were diverse in size and age, the male section of the site showed younger men with more conventionally attractive builds.
"We want overweight confident women but the men must always be muscle-bound and hairless," one user responded.
"[The brands have] only developed a representative brand position for women and failed to do the same for men, which I think is hypocritical," commented another.
The screengrab of the website that was shared to Reddit. Photo / Supplied
Men commenting on the thread agreed it is "nearly impossible" to look like those in the ads.
"Even more than that, it's these guys' jobs to look like that. They can therefore put in the effort required. The rest of us have other jobs which don't always lend themselves to that kind of body," one said.
"To all the blokes bothered by this, I say be [the] change you want to see. Compliment your mates, check in on them, show a bit of vulnerability among them, let them be vulnerable around you without fear of mockery," commented one.
To which someone responded: "Agreed. To the men bothered by this, make a change, say something, send an email, share it on socials and tag Myer saying they should do better. I'm sick of women having to do everything, I want to see men stand up and take some responsibility."
One mum wrote that while she was pleased to see "normal women" on the site, the "inequality" made her feel her sick.
"I don't want my teenage son growing up feeling pressured by unrealistic body standards. Not every man grows up looking like a jacked action figure – sure, some do, but depicting this body type as the only one to aspire to is toxic," she wrote.
"I also don't want my daughters growing up with some warped view of male beauty, or thinking a single body type is the benchmark of normality."
A Myer spokesperson told news.com.au the screenshot was not representative of their advertising, or the models in their latest campaign. Photo / Supplied
'Myer takes diversity seriously and has a proud record of embracing and showing the diversity of the Australian community in our advertising.' Photo / Supplied
But a Myer spokesperson told news.com.au the screenshot was not representative of their advertising, or the models in their latest campaign, which will be rolled out across three weeks.
"Myer takes diversity seriously and has a proud record of embracing and showing the diversity of the Australian community in our advertising," the company said.
"This includes all body types, ages, heights, and backgrounds.
"In our latest campaign we have a diverse range of models across men's and women's fashion, and you will see the diversity of the models used as this campaign rolls out."
