[Updated] What will stop neighbourhood sexploitation? (NSFW)
This three panelled billboard trailer featuring a naked woman is parked on a suburban road less than 500m from a local, public Primary School.
The back panel features a young woman with long hair standing completely naked against a pink background. The only thing covering her breasts is her hair, which also covers much of her face. One of her hands is positioned in such a way that it obscures view of her genitals.
The image is covered by the text "DOLLHOUSE Showgirls Gentleman's club, restaurant, bar." There is also a graphic of a ticket saying "free entry." The address for the venue is included.
The two side panels of the trailer show the same woman from a different angle. She is photographed side on, looking down and away from the viewer in a passive, self-protective position. Her hair is pulled back over her shoulder so that she must cover her breasts with her hands. In these images her mons pubis is so completely visible that the viewer can tell she has no pubic hair.
This trailer is regularly parked outside a home on a busy road in Brisbane's northern suburbs. The local Primary School is less than 500 metres from this location and children must either walk or navigate their bikes along the pathway beside the trailer to get to and from school.
This photo was taken while standing on that pathway.
This is a suburban area and the trailer is parked on a busy road where buses and cars carry children to and from school. Children are held captive to this advertising by virtue of their age and their reliance on adults to protect them from content like this.
But adults cannot protect children from exposure to sexually explicit, sex trade advertising in these circumstances. The address for the sex industry business - a strip club in Brisbane's CBD - is located at least half an hour drive from where this trailer is positioned.
But here is the ad as I approach it "on my way home from school."
The advertising sexually objectifies women, through its use of nudity and the nature of the business itself - a strip club where women are objectified for men's entertainment.
The name of the business is "The Dollhouse" and uses pink colouring in the ad. This has the dual impact of drawing children's attention to sex trade advertising - this is not merely theoretical, but a first hand account of a child identifying the words "dollhouse" - and teaching them to understand women and girls in objectified terms, such as "dolls" who are on "show." ("Showgirls")
The impact of sexual objectification is to reduce women - especially young women and girls - to second class citizens who exist for men's sexual gratification and entertainment. Women and girls wear the consequences of these attitudes in the form of sexual harassment, assault, domestic violence and murder.
To objectify is to dehumanise
In a meta-analysis of published research in peer-reviewed English-language journals between 1995 and 2015, Monique Ward found that exposure to sexualized content results in a "diminished view of women's competence, morality, and humanity":
"A total of 109 publications that contained 135 studies were reviewed. The findings provided consistent evidence that both laboratory exposure and regular, everyday exposure to this content are directly associated with a range of consequences, including higher levels of body dissatisfaction, greater self-objectification, greater support of sexist beliefs and of adversarial sexual beliefs, and greater tolerance of sexual violence toward women. Moreover, experimental exposure to this content leads both women and men to have a diminished view of women's competence, morality, and humanity."
I spoke to the owner of the trailer who claims to be the eldest son of the couple who own the strip club. He told me this was "public advertising" but also that I should "mind my own business." I pointed out that as this was "public advertising" it was my business. They can't have it both ways.
I was told the trailer was parked there to take advantage of the "drive by traffic," but was laughed at when I said the advertising wasn't appropriate for children to view, who form the audience in this drive by traffic. Treating women and children as a joke is not an uncommon attitude from sex trade business runners and advocates. We've come to expect it.
Before leaving, I informed him I would be making a complaint. I was told I should "put the photos all over Facebook" because "last time somebody did that" it helped them advertise.
Update
After we shared this article on Facebook, we received a message from Anthony who told us about the impact of these travelling sex trade billboards.
This is very very sad. This is how my daughters friend was exposed at the age of 8 to pornography. She passed a trailer advertising a sex shop called “Naked Passions” all over Cleveland so she googled the words and didnt go to their website but a XXX rated video. I found out by checking browsing history and questioned her before telling her parents. Sadly she was exposed to every type of intercourse you can imagine with nothing left to the imagination. We will stand and stop this nonsense on our streets!
Dollhouse Showgirls doesn't even pretend to have age verification, meaning children can access pornography within seconds.
This is a violation of women's and children's rights.
[UPDATE]
Thank you to everyone who made a complaint about this strip club's road-side pornography. We've heard from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation in Qld who are investigating the matter and have already taken steps to make sure these signs are not placed in this location.
We will be keeping an eye on the situation and will keep you updated.
Take Action!
If you would like to make your voice heard, contact the following agencies and feel free to share the link to this article.
Contact the Qld Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/olgrqld
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qldolgr/
Contact Council
Moreton Shire Council Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoretonBayCouncil/
Brisbane City Council Twitter: https://twitter.com/brisbanecityqld
Brisbane City Council Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrisbaneCityCouncil/
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