AFL footballer Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin has released ‘The Buddy Ball’ football for kids. But what else is he selling?
We’ve posted about AFL Hawthorn player Lance “Buddy” Franklin before. We’ve written about his sexist clothing brand Nena and Pasadena, of which he is Co-director. Take a look at some of his designs below.
The women on Nena and Pasadena t-shirts are frequently topless and sexually objectified, positioned in weak and vulnerable poses. What message does this clothing send N&P’s target market of young men about women? What does it say about men and women when clothed men wear t-shirts of naked women?
Naomi Wolf, author of The Beauty Myth said, “Cross-culturally, unequal nakedness almost always expresses power relations.”
Gail Dines, sociologist and author of Pornland said, “It’s no accident that in prisons the first thing a prisoner has to do is strip naked, because to be naked in the presence of somebody clothed is to be in a vulnerable situation.”
Young fans look up to their favourite footy players. Children as young as five who sign up for ‘Auskick’ receive a bag full of AFL branded paraphernalia, including trading cards with the players pictures, and a height chart with the heights of famous players already marked. From a very young age, children can consider how they literally measure up to their role models. Unfortunately, some players are not worthy of this honour.
The AFL has the Respect and Responsibility policy in place to cultivate a safe environment for women. Has Buddy heard of it?
The Respect and Responsibility Policy represents the Australian Football League’s commitment to addressing violence against women and to work towards creating safe, supportive and inclusive environments for women and girls across the football industry as well as the broader community.
The Respect and Responsibility Policy is about shifting attitudes – ensuring that people throughout the Australian Football industry are aware, and have structures in place, that recognise that violence against women and behaviour that harms or degrades women, is never acceptable.
Despite this, the AFL has refused to even acknowledge Franklin’s blatant disregard for the policy, leaving many to question its effectiveness. (Read Melinda Tankard Reist’s piece on ABC’s The Drum “Showing respect for women the AFL way” ).
Nena and Pasadena’s facebook page has become a forum for sexism and misogynistic comments. N&P habitually post pictures of semi-clothed women, inviting fans to rank them, as well as photos of young women kissing, while offering prizes to fans who share the best strategies for getting women into bed. Here are a few examples:
“Drop a roofie”
“I like to call it ‘the fight and struggle’”
“the skull drag to the bushes and then duck tape the mouth move”
“I hope to God they can’t run faster than me down that alleyway”
Nena and Pasadena’s response? “Keep em coming guys- this is very entertaining!”
Buddy’s new Campaign video is under investigation by the Advertising Standards Bureau. Make a complaint here.
Screenshot of video
Tobacco Control have also confirmed N&P are once again under investigation for allegedly breaching anti-smoking laws, already having had two t-shirts banned.
Franklin uses his high profile as an AFL player to promote his business on N&P’s website and Facebook page, as well as in generating media attention for his brand. From N&P’s Facebook page info:
“Nena & Pasadena was birthed, after AFL superstar Lance “Buddy” Franklin joined forces with one of Australia’s leading menswear labels, to create a fun, outgoing and vibrant street wear label that captured the attention of thousands!”
This month, Buddy released the ‘Buddy ball’, a football along with an instructional dvd for kids. It is to be sold at toy stores and other retailers. Buddy is marketing his brand to children, milking his role model status to sell footballs. This is the man who designs porn themed t-shirts, produces campaign videos featuring an image of a naked woman and provides a social forum on Facebook for men to joke about drugging and raping women. He is not a role model for our sons.
TAKE ACTION!
Share this post widely so others can make informed decisions about what they choose to spend their money on.
Contact the AFL
Some points you might like to make are:
- Buddy Franklin uses his high profile with the AFL to promote sexism
-Buddy Franklin continually disregards the AFL’s Respect and Responsibility policy
-Buddy Franklin is the public face of a company renowned for degrading and objectifying women in their products, advertising and conduct
-Ask the AFL what action they intend to take
Feedback form (Select ‘Contact AFL’, then ‘General’) or Facebook or Twitter
Contact these retailers and ask them not to endorse Buddy Franklin products.
Rebel Sport
Email: customer.relations@rebelgroup.com.au or Facebook or Twitter
Kmart
Feedback Form or Facebook or Twitter
Target
Feedback Form or Facebook or Twitter
Big W
Feedback form or Facebook or Twitter
Toys R Us
SportsPower
Toyworld
More on Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin’s business venture:
Buddy’s Chapel Street Fashion goal
And what Buddy Franklin does while he’s not selling over priced footballs to children
Hookers Ball gets kick out of Buddy
SEE ALSO:
Retailers urged to cease the sale and distribution of ‘porn t-shirts’
Mixed Messages: AFL talks respect for women but stays silent on Buddy’s sexist tees
Nena and Pasadena: Objectification on a shirt
Reprinted from Collective Shout
May 3rd, 2012 at 12:48 am
This is mortifying. It’s almost impossible to believe this, particularly the shocking comments on the Facebook group. How degrading. I feel objectified just reading the comments. These companies who support this brand will be hearing from me shortly. I feel so ashamed that people can make such crude and throwaway comments
About rape- and that they’re being encouraged.
May 4th, 2012 at 2:18 pm
The AFL’s response on this has been a joke. Attempts to whitewash Buddy’s involvement with the company in order to avoid having to take disciplinary action. Their respect & responsibility policy isn’t worth the ink it’s printed on. I look forward to turning down our kids opportunities to take part in Auskick.
May 5th, 2012 at 8:32 am
Lance Franklin’s ‘products’ all have the same message – namely promoting male hatred/male contempt for women and yes he too can be numbered among the countless many men who profit by portraying women as men’s disposable sexual service stations.
But we mustn’t state what is really happening must we? No we have to claim it is ‘sexism’ which is a meaningless term because it does not describe/define exactly what Franklin is promoting. So, then the claim can be made that Franklin is ‘sexist’ because he is not promoting/selling t-shirts depicting naked men in sexually submissive/sexually objectified poses and is denying the right for men to be portrayed as dehumanised sexualised commodities. After all equal opportunities could mean men’s right to be portrayed as dehumanised sexualised commodities just as women supposedly have the right to be portrayed in this manner.
But then men accord themselves the right to be accorded dignity and respect whereas women aren’t human according to Franklin and his cohorts.
The AFL too are promoting/condoning male hatred and male contempt for women because they hypocritically refuse to enact their policy concerning promotion of male violence against women. Profit as always supercedes women’s innate right to be accorded humanity and respect and we must not forget dehumanising women means men can claim ‘but these items do not harm anyone because they are just humorous.’
Very true from the male-centric perspective because default human is male and men continue to deny women are human.
May 6th, 2012 at 10:59 am
Hi Melinda,
I have just read your arcticle “Buddy’s porn tees” and feel compelled to thank you for your work on behalf of all women. I truly believe now is the time to be addressing these issues, I think the time as come where we can say “enough is enough” and be heard. Please watch “Insight” this Tuesday night and enjoy with me the proud moment of seeing my 14 y.o. daughter, Nova, have her say on behalf of women and porn. You will be amazed by her wisdom and inspired for the next generation. See the program her amazing teacher Kristy Lang is delivering to teens. I know of a group of teens (both sexes) , students of Kristy’s, who are protesting against a porn football team that MMM are promoting on their website. You will be encouraged just as I was to hear you speaking for me today in the paper.
Best wishes
Lisa
May 6th, 2012 at 3:12 pm
I am sure Duddy is a moral man with a good moral code. You have bought up the concept of violence against women in your article which essentially has nothing to do with the rest of your article.
Should women or men feel objectified by images of their own gender on a t-shirt of someone else. Well no, these shirts are in fact harmless to men and women fact. If you wanna dispute then back yourself with reference material, I am open to new ideas.
What does it say about men and women when cloth men wear images of naked women? Nothing. The clothing is there as an option, no one is forcing you to buy it. If you don’t like it then do not buy it. Obviously you do not wear this stuff just anywhere now do you? Consumers are smarter then you think, we are only lead to believe they are stupid.
Now there is an element here that I do agree on. It is indeed not right has such mysogynistic comments on their page. Nena and Pasadena are not of full mysogynistic and sexist comments, granted you have put the worst ones up here but most people scrolling down that page were quite charming. Maybe this company needs to regulate its own code and conduct rules, perhaps ban or block people for mysongynist or sexist language.
The buddy ball I have no problem with, that is just an entirely different marketing dempgraphic in this country.
May 7th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Well done Melinda for exposing this.
I rang the AFL and said that I would withdraw my support from my team if they didn’t respond appropriately.
Thank you,
Ros
May 14th, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Thanks for taking action Ros.
May 14th, 2012 at 9:22 pm
Thanks for your lovely words Lisa, and apologies for my delayed reply….very encouraging especially to see Nova speaking out. What a brave young woman to go against the tide on this issue. I would very much like to be in touch with her. Would you ask her to contact me through my website by clicking on the contact button? I’d like to ask her to write something for me if she was willing….
May 14th, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Jennifer, I always value your input on my blog. Thank you and hope you will continue to contribute.
May 14th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Thanks Jamie. I’m hearing from others mothers who are planning on taking their kids out of Auskick too.
May 14th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Agree Claire. Rape jokes and laughing about violence against women seems to be a popular sport these days.