Parents aren't happy with kids 'Cheat Day' pyjamas

While it’s true that child obesity is a global issue, that didn’t stop Iona Burton from being taken aback when she noticed a pair of pyjamas in the preteen section of British retail store, New Look, referencing a popular dieting term: the “cheat day.”

“Can we all tell @NewLookFashion that 9 year olds shouldn’t even know what a ‘cheat day’ is?” she asked on Twitter, attaching a picture of the offending pjs.

Spotted in the aged nine to 15 section, the pyjamas feature a tank and shorts combo covered in slices of pizza.

And Burton wasn’t the only one to question this outfit.

Among the 7.6K users that retweeted the photo was author J.K. Rowling, which quickly caught the attention of the brand. They followed up by issuing a statement claiming the pyjamas were placed in the kids section by accident.

“The pyjamas in question are not part of our children’s range and are on sale in adult sizes only. It appears that they were mistakenly displayed in the wrong area in this instance and this has now been rectified,” reported the Telegraph.

“This item is an adult pyjama set and is intended as a tongue-in-cheek novelty item, reflecting current lifestyle trends. New Look has always taken its responsibility in promoting body confidence very seriously, particularly when it comes to our younger customers. As a business we are focused on creating fashion-forward, quality clothing for customers of all body shapes, which is something we are proud to be taking a lead on.”

But Burton isn’t satisfied. The Manchester native — and former anorexic and bulimic — considers herself an advocate of mental health awareness and elaborated about why she tweeted the photo on her blog, not quite curvy; definitely real.

“I care about people and I care about young people especially, and what kind of world they’re growing up in,” she starts by saying. “There are some things – like politics – that we can’t control, but there are other things that we can influence, and only influence by making a fuss.”

“You can have the ‘best’ diet in the world but if you’re torturing yourself with guilt every time you have anything ‘bad,’ then that’s not healthy whatsoever.”

“When I first saw this picture of these pyjamas in that New Look store, I was under the impression that they were designed for children aged 9-15. It turned out that I was mistaken and that they had been accidentally placed in that section despite only being made in adult sizes. As part of their brief response, post J.K.Rowling retweet and consequential uproar, New Look said the pyjamas were ‘intended as a tongue in cheek novelty item, reflecting current lifestyle trends.’ If ‘cheat days’ – a rare day off a life full of food rules and restrictions – are a current lifestyle trend, I don’t want to be a part of it, no matter what age it’s aimed at.”

“Eating is not cheating. We eat to survive. It’s that simple.”

What do you think of these pyjamas and the message they send? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.