*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. 

Sexist caps removed, sexualised toys and kids clothing gone, sex industry shares dumped, paedophilic Twitter accounts shut down, child sex abuse doll accounts pulled, outdoor ad rules tightened, UltraTune ads dropped, ‘Penis Pacifier’ disappeared - all because our supporters took action!

*Content warning

Six investment firms have (quietly) sold off their Playboy shares after our calls to divest from the global porn empire. They are:

Yesterday we took to social media to ask CEO Jane Hastings to exercise corporate social responsibility and remove the p*rny image in the Rydges Gold Coast location mens toilets.

Jane responded shortly after "Hi - thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have the team investigating this immediately. Whilst this is not a managed hotel property, it does carry the Rydges brand. We do respect that art is subjective, however, this is not aligned to the Rydges brand. This art will be taken down when it is identified."

This morning we received a confirmation email from a staff member from the parent company EVT that the image had been removed. 

We are glad that Rydges has acted promptly since we launched our campaign but why was the image put up in the first place? And why wasn't this matter taken seriously when Holly (Collective Shout supporter and hotel customer) lodged her formal complaint in writing to the hotel?

"I’m relieved to hear that Rydges Gold Coast have removed this offensive large scale image from the male bathroom thanks to the collective voice of women (and men) who will push back against this type of content. This is powerful.

These types of situations and wins give me hope and encouragement that together we can take a stand and say no to the sexualisation, objectification and discrimination of wahine. We can work together towards a better future for our kids. Thanks Collective Shout" - Holly

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Ad Standards fail prompts local council to act

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.

Update from petition starter Anna Cordell

E-commerce giant Etsy appears to have blocked search terms related to child sex abuse dolls. 

US-based investment firm Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has quietly sold off over one million dollars in shares in strip club company RCI Hospitality Holdings (RCIHH) after Collective Shout called on them to divest. 

We were surprised when we discovered Thrivent - a company with particular appeal to faith-based and ethically motivated investors - was propping up and profiting from the sale of women’s bodies as men’s sexual entertainment.

Over the weekend it was reported that Thrivent divested in all remaining shares for RCIHH. This is a massive victory for our movement!

Skincare brand Etto Australia has been found to be in breach of Ad Standards code of ethics after promoting their product in The Good Weekend.

25 accounts down in 48 hours after our reports

*Content warning