Parents are wading in on a debate after a presenter on a children’s channel referred to snowmen as a more gender neutral term: “snowpeople”.
Catie Munnings, 20, who presents Catie’s Amazing Machines on CBeebies, said during an episode: “Snow is amazing. You get to build snowpeople and go sledging.”
However some felt the term was “taking things too far”. “Seriously, what is the world coming to now?” one person tweeted. “It can no longer be Frosty the Snowman, but has to be Frosty the Snowperson?! Jokers.”
Other people also got involved in the debate on Twitter.
Despite the fact people are disagreeing with using this term now, it’s an issue which has previously been brought up on Twitter.
Commenting on the term, Cathy Ranson, editor of ChannelMum.com, said she believes Catie isn’t trying to be controversial at all by using this term. “Snowpeople is simply catch-all term for every type of snow creation – be it a snowman, snowwoman, snow dog or anything else icy and imaginative which your child wants to build,” she tells HuffPost UK.
Instead of rowing about how something should or shouldn’t be described, Cathy says it’s much better to spend the time having fun, bonding with your kids and building whatever their mind imagines. “Then let your child name it – it’s their creation after all – and you’ll end up with some much more exciting suggestions even than snowpeople!”
HuffPost UK contacted CBeebies who declined to comment.
What do you think? Is the phrase “snowmen” outdated? Let us know by emailing ukparents@huffpost.com or commenting below.