Youth retailer City Beach has been slammed for promoting global porn industry brand Playboy, following the release of its new range of Playboy-branded clothing.
The surf store is acting as a gateway to introducing young people to pornography by normalising and embedding it in clothing targeted at them. It also treats young women as porn industry props, using them to advertise a brand with a history of mistreating women and children.
City Beach further encourages men and boys to see women and girls as available for their gratification.
Playboy has played a significant role in mainstreaming and legitimising the trade in women’s bodies. It also has a long history of sexually exploiting children.
A number of Playboy magazine’s centrefolds were under the age of 12. One Playboy publication published naked photos of a then ten-year-old Brooke Shields. Cartoons published in the magazine depicted rape and child sexual abuse and made jokes about these abhorrent practices.
This is the history of a global sexual exploiter of women which City Beach has decided to partner with for corporate profit, against the wellbeing of women and girls.
Dozens of Collective Shout supporters left comments on City Beach’s Facebook page.
“So City Beach, when you say you’re ‘playing a part in the day to day life of Australia’s youth culture and lifestyle’ is this what you mean? Promoting the objectification of girls and women?” (Andrea Vucic)
“Is this what female empowerment looks like at City Beach? Encouraging teens to walk around with a sign that tells every bloke to imagine them in Playboy? Pathetic and shameful.” (Matt Salter)
“In these times when youth are disclosing horrific things and the importance and idea of consent is in the media why would you link girls/women with a corporation that preys on females, portraying them as people who are simply there to meet the sexual needs of men?” (Charlotte Hunter)
Collective Shout Campaigns Manager, Caitlin Roper, said the activist movement had first exposed City Beach selling pornographic products to teens ten years ago.
“City Beach sold clothing and other merchandise with images of naked women bound and gagged. They profited from sexualising violence against women,” she said.
“The company continues to demonstrate its lack of corporate social responsibility with its new partnership with this dangerously powerful brand of the global porn industry.”
May 4, 2021
Contact:
Caitlin Roper, Campaigns Manager, [email protected]
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