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Honey Birdette remove spanking Santa posters following outrage

Honey Birdette have been targeted by outraged mums who have slammed their raunchy 'spanking Santa' ads – located metres from where kids can meet Father Christmas.

Parents across Australia are boycotting Westfield shopping centres over the images, which show a nearly nude model straddling St Nick with the caption “Sorry kids, we gave Santa the night off”.

Honey Birdette launched the risqué ad campaign to promote their new Christmas-themed underwear collection and defended the marketing as "fun and playful".

The lingerie company have come under fire for their raunchy festive season ads. Photo: Caters News
The lingerie company have come under fire for their raunchy festive season ads. Photo: Caters News

However mums claim the "sexist" advertisements are too graphic to be displayed in family shopping centres – with some even calling the images tantamount to child abuse and grooming.

Women's rights activist Melinda Tankard Reist, 54, claims many of the shopfront ads – located in malls across Australia – are clearly visible from where children can queue to meet Father Christmas.

Canberra mum-of-four and author Melinda, believes the posters display “predatory behaviour” and will confuse children.

"This advertisement is just sick,” said Melinda. “It is degrading to women and girls and teaches men and boys that this kind of behaviour is acceptable.

"Santa is displaying predatory behaviour, he is engaging in sexual touching, he is spanking one of the women's nearly bare bum and snapping her underwear.

"And the woman in the poster doesn't exactly look too thrilled about what he is doing to her, so there is that element of harassment, force and power as well.

Mum Melinda has slammed the outrageous ads. Photo:MTR/Caters News
Mum Melinda has slammed the outrageous ads. Photo:MTR/Caters News

"Westfield and Honey Birdette are promoting sexism and inciting harassment of women by allowing these 'porn-ified', hypersexualised images into shopping centres around the country.

"This is so harmful to our kids. It is grooming children to believe this behaviour is acceptable and that is how women should behave.

"At this time of year, shopping centres are such a fun place for kids who want to go and meet Santa and get a photo with him. They are full of Christmas festivities aimed at children.

"And then they see this image of Santa fondling a woman's underwear about to give her a slap. It's so confusing for them.

"Santa Claus in children's imaginations is a benign figure. He is caring and brings them presents. It's a downright betrayal for them to see this image."

There are more than 50 Honey Birdette stores across Australia, primarily inside Westfield malls.

The lingerie outlet has faced fierce backlash over their use of provocative imagery previously, with a petition calling for the store to stop using raunchy advertising racking up 56,000 signatures to date.

The raunchy ads are on display at stores all around Australia. Photo: Caters News
The raunchy ads are on display at stores all around Australia. Photo: Caters News

Mum-of-four Amber Maher, from Canberra, is also boycotting Westfield shopping centres over the ads and said exposing children to the images is tantamount to child abuse.

"It's well known that exposing children to sexually explicit material is child abuse – it would be like child abuse if walked my kids past this image,” said the 34-year-old.

"I've always avoided Honey Birdette stores due to their graphic imagery but this has just gone too far.

"I have four kids under nine who absolutely adore Santa and believe in the whole magic of Christmas, and I feel like they're having their innocence stolen by being exposed to this.

"If this were on television it would be restricted content, so I don't understand why it's accepted here.

"Westfield is a family environment and this kind of thing shouldn't be in everyone's faces. Our rights as parents to protect our kids are being violated.

"The advertisement is calling out to children and has a picture of Santa Claus – of course kids are going to get drawn into it. It's really scary."

Honey Birdette are known for their provocative ads. Photo: Instagram
Honey Birdette are known for their provocative ads. Photo: Instagram

It’s something Melinda agrees with, adding it’s contributing to the spread of sexism.

“We're conditioning boys to act disrespectfully towards women,” she said.

"One mum told me how her four-year-old daughter imitated a Honey Birdette ad she saw by pouting, posing and rubbing her hand down her thigh.

"To say children don't notice these images is insane and a lie."

The company's campaigns have sparked controversy in the past. Photo: Instagram
The company's campaigns have sparked controversy in the past. Photo: Instagram

A spokesman for Honey Birdette has confirmed the current posters have been removed, but deny it is due to any correspondance between the brand and Westfield over the outrage.

“Honey Birdette launch a minimum of one new collection every single week of the year," the spokesnman said.

"As a result, our marketing collateral is also updated on a minimum weekly to fortnightly basis.

“The posters for the launch of our next Christmas collection are currently being rolled out across all of our stores.”

- Additional reporting by Caters News

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