As I was walking through the Logan Hyperdome recently I was so shocked to see floor to ceiling posters of borderline pornography out the front of two of their shops. The stores are Honey Birdette (sex shop -, in a family shopping centre)???? .. and Bras n Things. These posters are in clear view of anyone walking past the shops - including young children. The Event Cinemas movie theatre has previews for M 15+ movies playing where children are walking passed and can easily see them. There is also a massive flat screen television out in the piazza where the children's play area is showing free to air television, with little to no regard of the content of the programs.
People wonder why children are abusing each other in the school playground and why 5 year old girls are dancing suggestively with each other - look around, it's all they see and hear - it is a proven fact that children mimic what they observe. Not only that, when I am walking through a shopping centre, as a 33 year old woman - I do not want to see those images. I feel violated and I feel that I am violating the person in the photograph.
When I contacted the Honey Birdette store, their response was 'there are currently 46 stores Australia wide, I don't think there is anything that can be done about the posters. We have received quite a few complaints about the store front and about our sex toys, but we are simply advertising our product and the toys are all at the back of the store and the store is only for people aged 18 and over' ....
Where are the standards? Have we slipped so far that we can't come back from it? I don't believe that is the case. I think now is the time to get up and fight for the upcoming generations and to look beyond the enormity of the problems and go after one win at a time and we can make a difference!!
Please sign this petition if you are in agreement. Thank you :)
