Some people got so mad about a boy in a dress in the John Lewis ad that the store just issued an explanation

A John Lewis home insurance ad featuring a young boy dancing around the house in a dress and makeup has caused an unexpected round of Twitter grumbling.

So much so, the retailer was forced to issue an explanation.

To be honest, we’re a bit baffled that a fun, light-hearted ad caused some people to get bent out of shape - but they did, with some Twitter users complaining about the gender aspect of the commercial, and others getting upset that the child in question caused a bit of damage at home.

Er, they know it’s fictional, right?

Nonetheless, John Lewis Retail felt compelled to respond:

“At John Lewis, we believe in children having fun and that’s why we chose this playful storyline for our latest advert,” they said.

“It’s designed to show the young actor getting carried away with his dramatic performance. He is not willfully damaging his home and is unaware of the unintentional consequences of his actions.

“If customers have Accidental Damage Cover with our Home Insurance, this would cover a range of major and minor home disasters – including unintentional breakages caused by children in the family”, they added.

Titled ‘Let Life Happen’, the advert debuted during Monday's Great British Bake Off break. It showed a young boy in his messy room surrounded by jewellery and clothes.

Dressed in a striped shirt, oversized dress and necklace, he flicks his mum’s heels off as he heads downstairs to dance around the house to Stevie Nicks’ Edge of Seventeen.

During his dramatic performance, he causes a mess around the house.

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Some viewers took to Twitter to slam the “sexist” ad, suggesting it was “narcissistic, destructive, aggressive and misogynistic.”

One Twitter user said: “Opinions on the John Lewis home insurance ‘Let life happen’ advert?

“I saw sexualisation of a male child imitating OTT feminised posturing, who was also acting like a bully and vandal...”

Others, however, did not find fault with the retailer’s new ad.

“Imagine being a grown adult and being genuinely angry, annoyed or upset that a little lad is running around the house in a princess dress on a john lewis advert hahahaha”, one tweeted.

While another highlighted the sad but predictable backlash, “People already having a rant about that boy in the John Lewis advert dressing up???”