By Ismael Amigo & Stacy Ang

MANILA – Netizens are up in arms against the owners of clothing line “Kain Pepe” as did militant women’s group Gabriela Women’s Party for vulgarity and reducing women as mere objects of sexual desire in its latest series of t-shirt designs which was uploaded on its official Facebook page.

The deluge of negative comments from womenfolk on the net prompted “Kain Pepe” purveyors to deactivate their Facebook Page.

Even its lame excuse “to teach young people on proper eating habits” did not also sit well with hundreds of angry netizens.

Netizens countered proper teaching of proper eating habits is not really the intention of the owners of “Kain Pepe” because, they said, prints on their shirts display vulgar design suggestive of private parts of women.

They also alleged that “Kain Pepe” used young women on their advertising campaign.

In a statement, Gabriela Women’s Party said, “Women are not objects of pleasure and satisfaction. This shameless advertising and display of merchandise that degrade, objectify and hypersexualize young girls contributes to gender stereotypes that trivialize violence against women and children.”

Gabriela Women’s Party said they are willing to provide Gender Sensitivity Training to the brand owners of KNPP in order to heighten their awareness of gender concerns and be willing to respond to gender issues.

“We urge Kain Pepe clothing line to correct this damaging error. We also encourage women to register the widest indignation over the rampant misogyny and sexism pervading our society,” the group said.

In line with this, Gabriela Women’s Party have invited the public to join the 8th annual One Billion Rising on February 14, a global strike to demand an end to violence against women. (SA/IA/CPH)