An online petition is calling for advertising by Australian lingerie brand, Honey Birdette, to “STOP using porn-style advertising in Westfield”.
Previously, the brand has been labelled “empowering” by lingerie loyalists, though that is certainly not the case as far as Kenneth Thor, father of three, is concerned.
Kenneth has started a petition that has since been signed by almost 20,000 people, calling for Honey Birdette to remove their “porn-style images” because “these images and the company behind them, robs kids of their innocence.”
Take a look at an image of the store front below.
Honey Birdette store front at Westfield Fountain Gate.
Honey Birdette stores are only accessible to people over the age of 18, so it’s not the internal advertising that’s an issue. The stores are mostly located in shopping centres, meaning children walking past are exposed to the “offending” advertisement.
Previously the brand has been asked to pull similar advertising from their ‘Issy’ campaign, which you can see below.
Both advertisement were reviewed by the Australian Ad Standards Burea who found it to be in breach of Section 2.4 of the Code.
The ABS explained: “the depiction of nipples in an image in a store window is not appropriate. Advertising or Marketing Communications shall treat sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience.”
The founder and creator of the brand, Eloise Monaghan, spoke to the Daily Mail in the past and explained she’s not worried by the complaints.
“What’s so threatening about a female nipple as opposed to a male nipple?”
“This whole thing is a step backwards for society – this collection is our best-selling collection and the fastest selling collection ever and we sold 2,500 units within the first three hours.”
“People have nipples, wow. It’s not like there are tassles on them, they are covered and we faded them as much as possible but unfortunately we are a target.”
And for those who think the brand and their advertisement are objectifying women – Eloise has something to say to them too.
“We are here to empower women and we are going to continue to advertise lingerie and empower women moving forward,’ she said.
“Yes, some parents did complain in addition to specific groups but I hardly imagine a four-year-old is walking past saying ‘look Mum there’s a nipple, I’m offended’.”
“I’ve even had leasing agents say they weren’t comfortable with our store because it was too focused on female sexuality – that got me fired up and now we are going to start looking to launch in California as well.”
“We need to wake up, it’s frightening how conservative society is becoming. I will continue to fight for me and my team.”
Kenneth’s concern is that the brand’s “harmful practices” will continue unless people intervene.
His petition will be delivered to Brian Schwartz (Chairman) and Peter Allen (CEO) of Westfield.
It’s a difficult situation because banning such images can have the potential to make women ashamed of their bodies and their sexuality, however every individual has their different limits.
We hope that regardless Honey Birdette continue to empower women.
