Playboy Merchandise and Children.

Has anyone else noticed the rather odd presence of a world-recognised soft-porn symbol adorning merchandise seemingly specifically aimed at teenage and 'tweenage' girls? Everything from bright pink alarm-clocks to school exercise books and binders seem to have been targetted by the corp which is primarily a business encouraging women to take their tops off and open their legs for the camera.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude, and I don't object to pornography per se, but it seems to me that there's something very suspicious at the obviously deliberate inserting of this soft-porn logo into the everyday lives of girls - many of whom are very much children.

Am I overreacting here?

Reply 1

L i b

19

I think it's bloody mental, to put it bluntly. What are their parents thinking?

Reply 2

ch0c0h01ic

18

Its a trademark, like nike or cadburys or burberry or vauxhall. How can a playboy bunny emblem on a pencil case encourage promiscuity or encourage lap dancing or porn or stripping? OK, i can understand your viewpoints if they were giving away free sample mags with every purchase or recruitment forms, but on its own its pretty meaningless, just an act of consumerism to show off a designer label.

Nike has a good record for child expoitation in its factories in places like China, when children go out looking for new trainers do they think child exploitation when they see Nike trainers or buy Nike trainers because they support child exploitation? I don't think so, many are ignorant and naive and most adults aren't that much different. So are children going to be any different about buying a pencil case with a softporn empire logo on it? If we buy kids pencil cases and folders and pens with car manufacturers on them, is it going to turn them into boy and girl racers?

I have to admit i was a bit creeped out with the mistermen girls underwear with a slogan like 'Mr Tickles, because girls like to have fun,' but again, that was aimed at young children. Even then though, chances are that they're not going to understand the significance of masturbation or sex, plus it didn't even encourage sex in any way, its pretty innocent but people read too much into it. Personally i feel people are overreacting slightly.

Reply 3

L i b

19

ch0c0h01ic

Its a trademark, like nike or cadburys or burberry or vauxhall.

...or a Swastika?

Reply 4

Renal

17

L i b

...or a Swastika?

It could well be argued that an incan (was it?) symbol isn't inherently bad.

Reply 5

blahhh

18

i was on about this with my mate the other day....his 8 year old sister having stuff for christmas with playboy all over it

Reply 6

Ghost

20

I got my 5 year old daughter a skimpy top with a playboy logo on it, all the lads round our estate think shes well fit with it on like. It's well classy like. Gotta go for a bit and collect my dole. Cyas!

Reply 7

Fairy.Dust.Forever

It's the connotations of the brand though isn't it? We know about the Playboy Mansion, we know about the bunnies... we know about the magazines. So if that is the main focus of the Hefner empire.... since when was that linked to stationary, jewellery, bags, inflatable chairs (have you SEEN the Argos catalogue!) and other random old toot?!?

I wouldn't let my child brand themselves with playboy! Not because I particularly disagree with women taking their clothes off.... I'm not bothered in the slightest by that, but the association (however watered down - even if it is just a logo) with products aimed at children is a complete mismatch and most importantly, tacky.

It's not really anything to do with the premature sexualisation of children.... their mind is so far detatched from the pretty pink water cooler (see Argos :p:

) and hundreds of women parading themselves around naked - it IS just a logo. But from a corporal point of view, i'd like to know who had the idea of branding old rubbish with a Playboy bunny and aiming it at children aged between 8 and 13.... presumably these are the only people buying such things!

Nothing about the products is associated with the lifestyle Playboy magazine, Hugh Hefner and the Playboy bunnies portray..... so why bother putting the logo on the products anyway?

I'm off to buy me a Playboy mug....

Reply 8

L i b

19

Renal

It could well be argued that an incan (was it?) symbol isn't inherently bad.

A logo cannot be inherently bad, of course. But it would be a rather brave non-fascist who would wear one on a T-shirt and walk around their local town.

Reply 9

Profesh

20

Renal

It could well be argued that an incan (was it?) symbol isn't inherently bad.

And indeed, it isn't. Would that children were so philosophically astute.

Reply 10

Lizsco3

1

Renal

It could well be argued that an incan (was it?) symbol isn't inherently bad.

Lol it was taken from a hindu symbol then made back to front.

I think half the time 'tweens', especially, dont know what the playboy symbol stands for. It's just a bunny. Personally I wouldn't dress my kids in playboy attire, but I do think it is mainly used as a trademark logo, which will eventually fade out of fashion, if its even in fashion nowadays.

Reply 11

Serendipity*

1

I personally wouldn't buy a Playboy-branded item myself, let alone my children, if you paid me. It's just got such a tacky image nowadays...urgh.
I don't think Señor Hefner is out to ensnare tweenagers and the like into becoming girls of the Playboy mansion or whatever, it's just for more money. As almost everything nowadays is. Gah.

Reply 12

Serendipity*

1

Lizsco3

Lol it was taken from a hindu symbol then made back to front.

I think half the time 'tweens', especially, dont know what the playboy symbol stands for. It's just a bunny. Personally I wouldn't dress my kids in playboy attire, but I do think it is mainly used as a trademark logo, which will eventually fade out of fashion, if its even in fashion nowadays.

Lol yeah, it's such a shame the symbol's got such bad connotations because of it. If our family drew a traditional "rangoli" pattern featuring the swastika symbol on the ground outside our house, as per tradition in India, we'd probably get egged :rolleyes:

Oh well lol!

Reply 13

Tufts

17

I think tweenage girls like the 'cute' bunny logo. They don't have a full comprehension of what it symbolises. Their adult caregivers should be ashamed of themselves. There have been times in the shopping mall that I've wanted to pull some parents aside and submit them to questioning but my boyfriend guides me away.

Reply 14

Renal

17

Lizsco3

Lol it was taken from a hindu symbol then made back to front.

Hindu, buddhist, incan, jainist, etc. The earliest example was from early bronze age Iran predating all of them... It's just a symbol from basket weaving, which is pretty common. Although, yes, you're right it is mostly associated with hinduism.

Reply 15

Renal

17

Tufts

I think tweenage girls like the 'cute' bunny logo. They don't have a full comprehension of what it symbolises.

I'm not so sure you're right. When we have twelve and thirteen year-olds who dress up to look 'fit' and are considering pregnancy as a career move I don't think you can say that young girls aren't sexually aware.

Reply 16

bright star

1

more than one of my friends lost their virginity at ages around 13 :s:

i think it can be sexual....

Reply 17

Tufts

17

Playboy rattle for a baby:

Spoiler

Reply 18

Lizsco3

1

bright star

more than one of my friends lost their virginity at ages around 13 :s:

i think it can be sexual....

Yeah but you can't honestly blame playboy attire/merchandise for underage sex. Thats like blaming videogames for high school shootings.

Reply 19

CrazyDancingElf

Hm... it's quite disturbing. However, I can't really see why any sensible woman would want to wear such symbols either, do they want to be regarded as a mere commodity? Only valued for their looks?

Playboy Merchandise and Children.

Related discussions

Articles for you