Get Rid of Your Fifty Shades of Boots Ad

The Issue

The online shoe store, JustFab, has started an ad campaign titled "Fifty Shades of Boots" that depicts handcuffs on the bed.  Fifty Shades of Gray sets women's rights back fifty years.  Consent is not so clear in any situation involving violence and was surely not complete in that book.  It sends the message that a woman can win over an abuser with submission.  Domestic violence is still at an all time high and at least a quarter of women in America are sexually assaulted.  Worldwide, human trafficking is occurring at a greater level than it did during the transatlanctic slave trade.  Yet the Fifty Shades concept tries to sell violence, sexual submission, and vestiges of enslavement as "sexy."  This search for novelty in sex is something that studies show kill relationships and sex lives--see Sue Johnson's book, Love Sense, and the Ted Talks talk called "The Great Porn Experiment."  Dominion over women is not sexy.  References to enslaving women is not sexy.  Violence against women is not sexy.  JustFab, your boots just became very unattractive to me.  I am not buying any of them until you start an ad campaign that empowers women and pull this campaign.  

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CATHREN KOEHLERTPetition StarterI am a tenured associate law professor acting in my individual capacity on Change.org. I've been published in Salon.com and Ms.Blog as well as a number of law review articles.
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The Issue

The online shoe store, JustFab, has started an ad campaign titled "Fifty Shades of Boots" that depicts handcuffs on the bed.  Fifty Shades of Gray sets women's rights back fifty years.  Consent is not so clear in any situation involving violence and was surely not complete in that book.  It sends the message that a woman can win over an abuser with submission.  Domestic violence is still at an all time high and at least a quarter of women in America are sexually assaulted.  Worldwide, human trafficking is occurring at a greater level than it did during the transatlanctic slave trade.  Yet the Fifty Shades concept tries to sell violence, sexual submission, and vestiges of enslavement as "sexy."  This search for novelty in sex is something that studies show kill relationships and sex lives--see Sue Johnson's book, Love Sense, and the Ted Talks talk called "The Great Porn Experiment."  Dominion over women is not sexy.  References to enslaving women is not sexy.  Violence against women is not sexy.  JustFab, your boots just became very unattractive to me.  I am not buying any of them until you start an ad campaign that empowers women and pull this campaign.  

avatar of the starter
CATHREN KOEHLERTPetition StarterI am a tenured associate law professor acting in my individual capacity on Change.org. I've been published in Salon.com and Ms.Blog as well as a number of law review articles.

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Petition created on September 15, 2014