Rachel Hansen : Good Talks
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Me
    • Recommendations

It's not OK: Sexy Bunny Costumes in Toyworld

24/11/2014

0 Comments

 
PicturePlay Bunny Kit at Toyworld. Image: Brooke Riddell-Garner
Yesterday a Wellington man was shopping in Toyworld with his seven year old daughter. Beside the Lego backpack was a 'Deluxe Play Bunny Kit'.  Nope, not a cute fluffy bunny, but a sexy-lady-Playboy-bunny-like bunny.  

The first thing that struck me about this was the number of people that would have seen this costume before anyone thought to point out its inappropriateness in a children's toy shop.  This costume would have arrived at this store, it was unpacked by someone, entered into their database, taken by someone to the shop floor, a space for it cleared among the other toys, then numerous staff and customers would have passed it throughout the following days, and NO ONE thought to question the appropriateness of it until yesterday?

I think that to a certain extent we are so steeped in a culture where sexualised stuff for kids is not seen as strange, that people have become somewhat blind to it.  

Toyworld has claimed that stocking the costume was an error – and no one is debating that: sexy costumes in a kids toy shop can only ever be a huge error. However, I think it is a good opportunity for us to consider the mainstreaming of pornography.  Playboy sell a huge range of products in New Zealand (for example, the Warehouse stocks 40 Playboy branded products).  In this product diversification, what can easily be forgotten is Playboy's core business: pornography that exploits and objectifies women.  Let's do all we can to ensure that our children don't have the opportunity to develop brand loyalty to such companies.

Toyworld have apologized "to anyone who was offended", and I was asked to comment on Radio New Zealand National this afternoon about the incident.  If you would like to listen scroll through to 18:30:

NB: I am not anti-porn or anti-sex: I am anti-exploitation, and I am anti-the-sexualisation-of-children. 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Share

    Author

    Rachel is a writer and educator whose fields of interest include sexuality education, gender, feminism and youth development.

    Click here for blog comments policy.

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
    Follow rachelhansennz on Twitter
    Picture

    Archives

    November 2023
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    January 2013
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    December 1969

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Beauty Pageants
    Body Image
    Book Review
    Boys
    Breastfeeding
    Car Seats
    Children
    Education
    Fashion
    Fertility
    Gender
    Girls
    Hello
    Inspiration
    Language
    Learning
    Media
    Menstruation
    Mothering
    Parenting
    Periods
    Pornography
    Pregnancy
    Puberty
    Questions
    Relationships
    Relaxing
    Reproduction
    Roles
    Safety
    Self Esteem
    Self-esteem
    Sexualisation Of Children
    Sexuality
    Sexuality Education
    Tampons
    Vagina
    Vaginas
    Violence
    Vulva
    Women

    See blogs and businesses for New Zealand
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Me
    • Recommendations