Nicola Scholes, mother of an 11-year-old schoolboy in Manchester, England, tweeted a photo of her son dressed up for school World Book Day. Why? The lad was barred from participating, because he turned up costumed as a character from the smash novel Fifty Shades of Grey.
Little Liam wore a grey suit, à la Christian Grey, with a pair of cable ties and an eye mask in hand. Note the smile on his face as he poses for his Mum’s camera.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Mrs. Scholes received a call from the school informing her that Liam would be left out of the class picture, as his costume was deemed inappropriate.
Scholes had some choice words for the news outlet:
If it was a primary school, I could understand, but it’s a secondary school and the book and the film have been everywhere — it’s one of the most famous books in recent years, and it’s not like the pupils will be unaware of it… One of the teachers went dressed as ‘Dexter’ and I don’t see why sex is seen as more offensive than murder.
The lady has a point. As for Liam, when interviewed by MEM Media, the boy waved away concerns with a shrug: “I thought personally I didn’t want to go as a cartoon character, so I chose Christian Grey just to have a bit of fun.”