Controversial Aussie lingerie retailer Honey Birdette has unveiled its latest campaign called Red Alert that’s as much about politics as it is flogging its racy range.
Featuring censorship banners across the front of every image, it apparently responds to recent claims that the Australian and Victorian Government are giving in to the views of conservative Christian group, Collective Shout.
The Aussie lingerie firm claims that Collective Shout has harassed it for the past decade.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the brand said: “[Collective Shout] are known to engineer outrage in order push a repressive agenda, which calls for a much stricter and far reaching censorship regime in the media landscape.”
Honey Birdette founder, Eloise Monaghan, said the anti-abortion, conservative group had successfully captured the attention of the federal government in order to have them “enforce repressive censorship focused solely on women’s bodies, which would limit lingerie advertising in all public spaces.”
A number of Honey Birdette stores have been targeted – apparently by angry mothers – for their racy posters and POS that, it’s claimed, are easily visible to passing families and children.
Monaghan said: “They are attempting to change the definition of what is acceptable in lingerie advertising to include almost any image, implying that it could be interpreted as sexual and therefore causes violence against women. The reality is that the campaign lead by Melissa Tankard is dangerous to women and society. She is a real-life version of the Handmaid’s Tale.”
“I certainly won’t let conservative fringe groups (male politicians and female hating woman) blame women’s bodies for domestic violence and we are gearing up to create a movement with contemporary women and men around the world. If Collective Shout think they have a voice, mine will be a viral speaker phone to every person out there. I have avoided this action, but they are now threatening what we stand for,” she said.
Monaghan said the brand decided to launch a campaign to highlight the discrimination that women’s bodies face for being exactly what they are, women.
“Our bodies are not up for discussion, how appropriate our breasts are for display in lingerie advertising. Nor does lace underwear consent rape.”
Honey Birdette has even established a petition for its supporters to sign.
