Lewis Hamilton Apologizes For Saying ‘Boys Don’t Wear Princess Dresses’

Lewis Hamilton recently apologized for telling his nephew that “boys don’t wear princess dresses.”

The Formula One racer was criticized on social media after he uploaded a video on Instagram on Monday, Dec. 25. The video, who has been deleted, featured Hamilton expressing his “sadness” over the fact that his nephew wore a pink and purple dress on Christmas Day.

“Why are you wearing a pink dress? Is that what you got for Christmas? Why did you ask for a princess dress for Christmas? Boys don’t wear princess dresses!” he told the young boy.

Immediately after, Hamilton was slammed on social media for gender-shaming his nephew. One day later, the racer apologized to his fans via a series of tweets. Hamilton acknowledged the fact that his words were inappropriate that’s why he deleted his post.

He added that he meant no harm and didn’t intend to offend anyone. “My deepest apologies for my behavior as I realize it is really not acceptable for anyone, no matter where you are from, to marginalize or stereotype anyone,” he wrote.

Hamilton also said that he hopes he can be forgiven for “this lapse in judgment.”

Prior to his apology, Liam Hackett, founder of anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label, responded to Hamilton’s video and said, “Disappointing to see somebody with such a huge platform use it to publicly shame and attempt to undermine a small child.”

Imraan Sathar or discrimination support charity Stay Brake UK urged for the racer to be stripped off of his MBE, according to BBC.

Fans and critics of the Formula One racer also encouraged Hamilton to apologize to his nephew and to explain to him that young boys can wear whatever they want.

Another critic called Hamilton “ignorant” especially since his nephew looked cute in his dress. The young boy also didn’t stop smiling while Hamilton made fun of him in the video.