But don’t women choose to participate in pornography/lingerie football/beauty pageants etc? Doesn’t your activism limit their choices and freedom?

The issue of choice is complex. A number of factors influence the choices a person makes, including culture. Through media, marketing and product placement, the dominant message about women and girls is clear – women are valued for their appearance and how well they can sexually satisfy men.

We absorb this message from a very early age. Mainstream children’s media communicates that ‘beauty’ is a woman’s most important attribute. Images of flawless, slim, youthful models plaster public spaces. Padded bras and make up are marketed towards little girls. Pornographers are working hard to connect girls and young women to their products and the global branding of the sex industry.

The negative impact of sexualisation is significant and has been documented globally.

Girls are under increasing pressure to fit a narrow beauty standard and a sexualised mould. A culture that affirms girls for conforming to these standards is one in which women will be willing to participate in their own exploitation. Collective Shout believes in challenging and changing this toxic culture, rather than focusing on the choices of individual women.