Positive Activism Ideas: More Fun Ways to Slam Media and Marketers Sexualizing Kids
Candie's is Girl Caught
In the post linked below, Amy Jussel of Shaping Youth shows how New Moon Girls has come up with a virtual sticker, similar to those I advocated in the post Stick it To ’em. It’s time for those of us who are fed up with the sexy marketing aimed at kids to stand up and be heard. In the link below, you can get the sticker. I’ve used it here to call “Girl Caught” on Candie’s Clothing for marketing clothes that come in girls and junior sizes in a way that sexualized childhood. Not only is the model used dressed in her underwear and in bed (sexy image) but she’s also playing with a child’s toys. Yuck. Linking sexiness with children in a marketing campaign for clothes that are sold in the children’s department?! No thanks, Candie’s, you’ve been Girl Caught for disrespecting and sexualizing both women and girls.
Corporations will provide socially responsible marketing and products WHEN CONSUMERS MAKE THEM!! We do have power and we can be heard. I encourage teens and tweens to get involved in making their own media to talk back to corporations that are trying to exploit them.
Shaping Youth » Girl Caught: New Moon Girls Slams Sexualization of Kids.
In her post, Amy says, “It’s guerrilla marketing time! Think “Blame Drew’s Cancer” in terms of how people can ‘let off steam productively’ using social media to SPARK change, and help fund the coffers of companies that are POSITIVE picks in media messaging.
We’re asking coders and probono pals to lend ideas for viral marketing, and make the sticker easily sizable so it can dominate photos to cover up the image strategically to use media with mindfulness rather than give the scoundrels free press. Time to ‘show and tell’ with a shoutout from the windows using our own networks with a Howard Beale outcry to convey enough is enough!
At the very basic grassroots level, I’d also like a roll of REAL stickers for summer fun to deploy among youth teams in subversive ‘girl caught’ style…Yes, it’s “graffiti” but it’s removable, which is more than I can say for the ambient imagery these corporations continue to serve up en masse defacing kids’ psyches with NON-removable harm…”
You can use the sticker that I linked in the post Stick it to ’em, and there are some more fun ideas for being a vocal consumer activists in these posts on making your own media and deconstructing products and marketing messages. It’s important for adults, children, and adolescents to be empowered consumers and activists. When we begin to see ourselves as making a difference, then we will make changes. So get out there and make your voice heard!
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Jennifer – Thanks for helping to spread the word! We’re looking for groups and individs who want to join us in launching a major Girl-Caught campaign on Sept 22 – Day of the Girl. We’re looking for lots of examples of Girl-Caught media that we can display on a special section of http://newmoon.com – and people can also post them to our fb page http://facebook.com/newmoongirls.
Nancy, I will join you on the Day of the Girl and promote it on here, FB, and twitter. I love this campaign!