National Guild "in no way condones any sexualised behaviour"

Following River Heads Pharmacy owner Mark McMurtrie’s inappropriate and unprofessional response to community members who objected to his Facebook post, which used s*xual innuendo to degrade elderly women, we took action.

We believe McMurtrie's inappropriate, unprofessional and degrading original post as well as his mocking dismissal of community members who objected - warranted further action. We reported our concerns to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmacy Board (via the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency – Ahpra), and the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC). We have also phoned the Office of the Health Ombudsman and made a formal complaint which is currently being examined.

AI aids advertisers sexualising children

We spotted this Honey Birdette ad on Instagram.

We were concerned. (Apart from the model's bizarre and unnatural body proportions; the odd elongation and placement of the left arm; and the gargantuan left hand - which many social media users noted and criticised.)

After public backlash over a sexually suggestive post degrading elderly women, River Heads Pharmacy has resurfaced the same post - this time with the caption:

“*edited for the easily offended* Customers love it when Mark makes them cream. There’s that’s better”

"Mark loves making the old ladies cream": Queensland pharmacy degrades elderly women in Facebook promo

A supporter alerted us to a Facebook post by River Heads Pharmacy in Queensland with concerns it was harmful to women.

When one of our supporters came across an Instagram ad marketing child sex abuse dolls available for purchase, she went straight to Ad Standards to lodge a complaint. Not only did the doll seller account promote the sale of replica little girls for men’s sexual use, it is illegal to advertise these products in Australia.

Days later, she received a response from Ad Standards informing her they would not be reviewing the child sex abuse doll advertisement. Why?

Last week, we called out Goda Perfume for their strangulation-themed perfume ads. Multiple promotional videos for the perfume brand depict a man with his hands around a woman’s neck, apparently in response to her alluring perfume - and the women love it. (Because who doesn't love the risk of neurological damage, stroke or death?)

Ad Standards will no longer consider complaints against depictions of women in sheer lingerie.

In response to a complaint regarding a Bras N Things shopfront advertisement featuring a woman in a see-through bra, Ad Standards told the community member who objected that the ad would not be reviewed by the Panel.

Earlier this month we exposed Calendar Club, a retail pop-up store selling a range of porn-themed calendars including sexualised pin-ups depicting women as sexual playthings for male entertainment. You don’t even have to walk into a store to see them – they are right out in the open in busy shopping centre thoroughfares, and in full view of children.

Collective Shout supporters have contacted the retailer and received dismissive cut and paste responses (see below).

Here's our response to these weak justifications for flogging these sexist and degrading products:

What's the point of an ad regulator that can randomly refuse to review ads?

When a sponsored Typo post advertising Christmas ornaments in the shape of a penis and a sex toy showed up in Collective Shout supporter Susan’s Facebook feed, she made a complaint to Ad Standards.

Typo's penis-shaped Christmas ornaments 

But Ad Standards did not consider Susan’s complaint against the unsolicited penis ornament ad. She received an email notifying her that the Chair of the Ad Standards Community Panel had refused to forward the complaint to the panel for review.