Collective Shout: Lingerie chain Honey Birdette, Etsy named as ‘corporate offenders’

Controversial Aussie store Honey Birdette and online marketplace Etsy have topped a list of “corporate offenders” accused of sexualising women and girls.

Global online marketplace Etsy has been slammed for selling child sex abuse dolls as Australian equality group Collective Shout releases its annual list of corporate offenders.

The Playboy-owned Aussie lingerie chain Honey Birdette came second on the list due to its porn-themed advertising in family shopping centres while car servicing chain UltraTune was blasted for its history of sexist advertising.

Honey Birdette's controversial advertising campaign.

The annual Crossed Off list, first launched 11 years ago, is a collation of corporate offenders that have objectified women and sexualised girls to sell products and services

“It’s all about profits at the expense of women,” Collective Shout’s Campaigns Manager Caitlin Roper said.

“It’s time for these companies to stop profiting from sexualising and objectifying women and girls. If they don’t understand corporate social responsibility, if they don’t understand ethics, maybe they will understand when they start losing money.”

Etsy topped the list for selling child sex abuse dolls and replica child body parts, as well as child abuse and incest-themed merchandise.

UltraTune has been slammed for sexist advertising.

Collective Shout said the company continued to ignore a change-dot-org petition initiated by Melbourne musician, fashion designer and mother of five Anna Cordell, which had attracted more than 50,000 signatures.

Clothing retailer City Beach was also called out for stocking controversial Playboy-branded clothing, including T-shirts, shorts, socks, hats, beanies and hoodies, aimed at the teen market.

Fashion store General Pants got the thumbs down from Collective Shout for its “long history of using sexual exploitation to sell products, from change rooms plastered with pornographic imagery, live pole dancing displays, and a series of very large sexist shop front ads featuring young women in bikinis”.

City Beach has been blasted for its stocking of Playboy clothing.

The equity group also criticised NSW-based chocolate company Chocolab for displaying chocolate blocks featuring “degrading pornographic slogans” on its website.

It is not the first time that controversial firm Honey Birdette has come under fire for its full-size images in shopping centre windows featuring women in sexualised poses.

Collective Shout accused the firm of eroticising violence against women with its use of choking-themed images.

The lingerie chain’s use of upskirting images of women playing tennis in lingerie sexualised women in sport, the equity group said.

Ad Standards has upheld more than 50 complaints against the company for violating the advertising Code of Ethics.

Property companies Westfield, Lendlease, Vicinity Centres, Stockland and others are also included on the boycott list for allowing Honey Birdette’s porn-themed advertising in family shopping centres.

Originally published as Collective Shout: Lingerie chain Honey Birdette, Etsy named as ‘corporate offenders’