EastEnders fans criticised a "dystopian" storyline during last night's episode (Monday, April 10) as 12-year-old Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) asked for a gender reveal party for her unborn baby.
Lily is currently expecting a baby with her classmate Ricky Jr (Frankie Day) in EastEnders and last night's episode saw the character nervously prepare for her 20-week scan.
Meanwhile, mum Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) tried her best to put her worries aside about her mounting debt to violent loan shark Shiv and promised her daughter that she would be there to support her.
Later on, Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) found herself in hot water again after she made an ill-judged remark about kids ruining your social life to her son, Ricky Jr, who stormed out of the café.
Stacey found a distraught Ricky, who told her that he couldn't be a dad and refused to go to the scan. But after some reassuring words from Stacey, the expectant father showed up to support Lily.
While the young parents excitedly looked at their baby on the screen, Stacey was interrupted by another call from Shiv and left the room to answer it before the sex of the baby was revealed.
As Lily and Ricky returned, Stacey abruptly ended her phone call and was eager to find out if they were going to have a boy or a girl.
"And? What are you having?" Stacey asked.
But before Ricky could announce the baby's gender, Lily quickly interrupted him by saying that they were going to have a gender reveal party.
Lily revealed that she was going to bake a cake for the occasion and the mother and daughter looked at gender reveal cakes together.
However, despite the happy moment, fans seemed rather disturbed by the latest storyline and called it "dystopian" seeing two 12-year-olds having a gender reveal party...
the first gender reveal in the show and it’s for two twelve year olds … this sl is so dystopian #EastEndersApril 10, 2023
A gender reveal party for a 12 year old. - I'm still trying to get my head around how wrong this is 😬#EastEnders pic.twitter.com/uf4O4EbRNxApril 10, 2023
THIS!!! i’m sooo baffled by ee’s portrayal of it so far?? i know this can happen and addressing the issue is great but normalising it in this way could literally encourage 12 year olds who are watching?😭 gender reveal party? really? #eastenders https://t.co/6vEfww94orApril 10, 2023
Gender reveal party, they’re just children themselves - so sad #eastendersApril 10, 2023
EastEnders continues tonight at 7:30pm on BBC One.
