Media Release: Collective Shout releases annual sexploitation offender blacklist
Grassroots campaigning movement Collective Shout: for a world free of sexploitation has released its annual ‘Crossed Off’ list.
First launched 15 years ago, the blacklist is a curated line-up of company offenders who have objectified women and sexualised girls to sell products and services through the year.
This list serves as a guide for consumers who wish to spend their Christmas shopping dollar ethically.
Cross ‘em off your Christmas List: Our 2024 blacklist of companies trading on the bodies of women and girls
Every year in the lead up to Christmas we release our Crossed Off list – an annual blacklist of business offenders who objectify women and sexualise girls in their advertising, products and services – and call on our supporters to boycott these unethical companies.
This is our 15th Crossed off blacklist to help guide you in your shopping choices.
This year’s list includes a number of repeat offenders as well as new additions we thought you should know about.
The lineup includes Melbourne-based t.shirt company Teepublic (owned by Articore) for trading in violence against women, global e.commerce giant Shein for sexualising children in products and advertising, and repeat offender - with 80 advertising ethics code violations to its name, Honey Birdette.
Once again we’re asking supporters to send these companies a message that we don’t tolerate business practices which cause real harm to women and girls. If they don’t understand Corporate Social Responsibility, perhaps losing money might help them see its importance.
Looking for ethical alternatives? Check out our CSR Pledge Partners – companies which refuse to profit from objectifying portrayals of women and girls. Please reward them for doing the right thing!
Shein: Stop selling child sex abuse dolls!
Just two weeks after we announced a victory against Temu after they pulled child sex abuse dolls from sale, we’ve discovered child sex abuse dolls, disembodied replica child heads and legs sold by online retailer Shein.
We've previously called out Shein for objectifying women and sexualising girls in their advertising and through flogging sexualised toys and see-through gstrings for toddler girls and fetishising schoolgirls with 'sexy schoolgirl' costumes. Given their track record, maybe we shouldn't be surprised that now the company is selling replica little girls and body parts for men's sexual use?
We approached the company’s Global Head of Strategic Communications, Peter Pernot-Day, with our concerns, but were ignored.
Child sex abuse dolls normalise and encourage men’s sexual use and abuse of children. These products are illegal and constitute child sexual abuse material.
Take Action
Tell Shein to remove these listings from sale and commit to never selling them again.
Facebook: Shein Official Shein Australia
Twitter/X
Instagram: Shein Official Shein Australia
Shein support
“We have failed these girls”: Our campaigner Lyn Swanson Kennedy featured on ABC’s Four Corners
“There are many parents who know exactly what's going on and they willfully turn a blind eye."
Last week, our very own campaigner Lyn Swanson Kennedy was featured on an episode of ABC’s Four Corners, Kidfluencers.
(Four Corners: Keana Naughton)
Read moreSHEIN flogs fishnet stockings for baby girls: We stop them!
Earlier this week a supporter sent us a screenshot of a sponsored post on Facebook where giant e-commerce platform SHEIN was pushing thigh-high fishnet stockings for infants. "This is a massive red flag for me" she said.
We discussed it as a team and our Movement Director, Melinda Tankard Reist said "This major online e-commerce platform thinks it’s ok to sexualise even babies by flogging thigh-high black fishnet stockings. Shein has linked babies with an item of clothing commonly associated with the sex trade. We have documented other examples of Shien’s exploitation and adultification of children including padded bras and see-through costumes. The company must be called out for pedo whistling."
So we decided to share the image on Facebook, Instagram, X(Twitter) and LinkedIn calling on all our supporters to contact SHEIN and demand they remove the item from their site.
Clearly this campaign struck a chord with many as we had hundreds of comments on our social media platforms.
"I have grave concerns about the mind of the person who thought these a good idea - I think they need help of some sort."
"What the actual! That’s disgusting"
"Appalling"
"Yuck!! 🤮 This is all kinds of wrong. Actually makes me feel physically sick."
"Words fail at this sickness"
"SHEIN this is not a good look….."
"Shame on you SHEIN"
"SHEIN this is disgusting. I will be spreading this info to everyone I know so that your company is boycotted."
"I wrote a book about pornification of reality and this is the worst thing I've ever seen."
"This is not the first time. SHEIN have a history of sexualising girls. We must call this out!"
Read moreCross ‘em off your Christmas List: Our 2023 blacklist of companies to avoid!
Don't give these companies your XMAS dollar this year!
Read moreChild rape survivor speaks out on SHEIN sexy 'schoolgirl' outfits
*Trigger warning* Child sexual abuse
Recently we launched a campaign to get SHEIN to dump g-strings for toddlers and 'squishy' penis toys. SHEIN quietly removed the products from their website. Now we are asking SHEIN to clean up their site and remove all harmful sexy 'schoolgirl' outfits.
Read moreI'm 59. My school friends and I were constantly sexually harassed and groped on public transport whilst dressed in school uniform from around 12 yrs old. It was so frequent we saw it as part of being female. It was deeply humiliating and scary - too scary to make a loud fuss
— Adult Human HAG (@AdultHumanFem57) July 20, 2023
WIN: SHEIN dumps sexualised clothes + toys after our campaign
After just 5 days of campaigning by our supporters, online shopping giant SHEIN has removed a range of g-strings for girls and a miniature penis shaped ‘squishy’ toy.
Read moreSHEIN flogs see-through g-strings for toddler girls
SHEIN clothing, toys sexualise kids
Read moreCross ‘em off your Christmas List: Corporate Sexploitation Offenders of 2022
It’s that time of year again! Every year in the lead up to Christmas we release our Crossed Off list – an annual blacklist of corporate offenders who objectify women and sexualise girls for profit.
These companies - some we’ve been exposing for years - continue to flog their sexist and harmful products and services and refuse to change their unethical behaviour. That’s why we’re asking our supporters to once again vote with your wallets and send the message: sexploitation doesn’t sell.
Boycotting the companies below will also demonstrate you care about Corporate Social Responsibility and choose to spend your Christmas dollars ethically. And see below for companies you can spend your money with in good conscience!
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