For over a decade we have been campaigning and asking you, our supporters, to take action. We had a big win this week with the Federal Government reversing its earlier decision against an age verification pilot to help protect kids from p*rn. We fought this harmful and irresponsible decision.

As part of our campaign to get the Government to change its mind, we spearheaded this Open Letter and asked leading women's safety, child protection and prominent Australians to sign.

Today we want to take a moment to thank them all by name. We believe this letter and the rising outcry over violence against women, served as a tipping point.

Our persistence has paid off!

After 7-weeks of calling out e.commerce platform TeePublic for selling baby clothes covered in p*rn themed and violent slogans, we can at last report progress.

On Monday we met with parent company Articore (formerly Redbubble). We received a verbal and written apology and an official undertaking to remove these products which should take about a week (many of those we have exposed before have already gone). Articore will also work on improving its tech and moderating systems to stop it happening again.

Special thanks to all supporters who took action!

The power of one complaint: Speaking out leads to change

Collective Shout supporter, Isla, alerted us to a Wheels & Dollbaby ad promoting their 'St. Trinians collection - inspired by private schoolgirls who make their own rules'.

Wheels and Dollbaby is an Australian ‘rock n’ roll luxury clothing brand with an international market and status attracting big name clients. Clearly the label is popular. But why employ sexy private school girl tropes to push out its products?

School girls everywhere are routinely sexually harassed on a daily basis (and not just the private ones). On their way to school, on their way home.

Playboy-owned sex shop Honey Birdette has received its 70th ruling for being in violation of Australian Association of National Advertisers code of ethics. The rulings relate to the company’s porn-themed window displays in shopping centres.

Since 2010, Ad Standards has investigated close to 160 complaints about Honey Birdette promotions, upholding complaints against 70. The latest ruling was announced 13 March, with two separate ads deemed to have a “high level of nudity” and found in breach of Section 2.4 of the Code.

*Content Warning*

Online apparel company, Teepublic, is selling harmful and degrading clothing, including onesies for infants, with slogans glorifying violence against women and exploitation of children. 

'I F*CK ON THE FIRST DATE Baby Bodysuit'

We found countless onesies depicting women being choked, bound, handcuffed, on a leash and chained up.

A new Children's Advertising Code has come into effect as of December following a review by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), but it is ultimately meaningless. 

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!"

*Update: The ads have been removed thanks to your rapid action. Scroll to bottom for details*

This week a teacher forwarded us a sponsored post by H&M where pre-teen girls were styled and posed in school fashion outfits and the headline ‘Make those heads turn in H&M’s Back to School fashion.'

After decades of working against the sexualisation of girls we were immediately concerned and took to social media to call them out.

Our Movement Director, Melinda Tankard Reist, first posted on X (formally twitter) and the response was overwhelming. 

"The little girls parents generally prefer heads don’t ‘turn’ when others see their daughters walking to school, on a bus or in class. Why would you want to fuel the idea that little girls should draw attention to their looks, bodies and ‘style’? Perhaps have a word to your marketing team and come up with something that doesn’t draw attention to pre pubescent girls already struggling to thrive in a culture that values ‘lookism’ as an aspirational goal?" Tankard Reist said on Twitter.

People all around the world began to call H&M out for their harmful and irresponsible ad. 

Dr Johanna Lynch, GP, Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland and President of Australian Society for Psychological Medicine has sent a desperate plea to Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.