The BBC’s choice of a panda among its list of the top women of the year has caused an uproar, with critics calling the organization sexist for its choice,reports the Hollywood Reporter.

The women named as the top faces of 2011 include U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, singer Adele and Sarah Burton, the designer behind Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, according to the BBC Magazine’s Website.

The panda is Tian Tian, also called Sweetie, who arrived at the Edinburgh Zoo this month from China.

The BBC’s decision to include a panda sparked outrage across Twitter, with Labour MP Stella Creasy writing, "No offence to Sweetie — sure a lovely panda and best in the class etc — but clue is in the title ‘women’ not ‘female of the species’ of the year."

The list has also drawn criticism since several women on the list were chosen for the involvement in marriages, such as Pippa Middleton, the sister-in-law of Prince William, and Charlene Wittstock, who married Prince Albert of Monaco, the piece notes.