*This post originally appeared on Essential Kids

I’d like to bring to your attention this window display as just one example of the shit messages our girls are bombarded with every single day.

You see, I was shopping with my three girls today when we walked past this sign. They’re seven, nine and nearly 11. They read the sign and were more excited about the pool tubes. They had no clue about the sexual undertone of ‘slippery when wet‘. I did not explain it to them either.

But my blood boiled. It’s school holidays and the shopping mall is full of teens hanging out. And this is what they see. 

Here are three young women in swimsuits, pouting sexily, with their legs and arms wrapped around each other and the words “slippery when wet” emblazoned across the image.

It makes me sick to my stomach.

I wonder if the models in the ad campaign were told this message would be emblazoned over their image? If that was my kid, I’d be fuming.

“Slippery when wet” Oh yeah, sure the business will claim it’s about summer and girls playing in the pool in their bathers.

Yeah right.

I can’t even politely form arguments presenting my case as to why I’ve had enough of seeing these types of images.

I vow to continue using my voice to call out the sexualisation of young women.

No wonder we continue to find ourselves in situations what is going on in Hollywood at the moment. Men who have grown up thinking women are just their play things. Men who honestly believe that sex is a woman’s only real worth. They’ve been bombarded with these images their whole life too. Men who think it’s their right to force themselves on young women, and friends and co-workers who still to this day think it’s ok to say nothing.

Bravo to the women who have so bravely come forward, so many who waited decades in silence, shamefully hiding their experience. For so long they were made to believe they should be ashamed.

“Don’t speak up girls, you’ll be painted as ‘difficult’. Your career will be in ruins. Stay silent, it’s better in the long run.”

No, they should be angry. They should be loud. This should have been stopped years ago. The shroud of secrecy made many people, lots of money.

You know what, I refuse to stay silent. I will keep speaking up for women and girls everywhere.

And today, I’m speaking up about images and words like this abhorrent, sexist, damaging window display.

“Slippery when wet.” What a joke.

Girls are not there for your eye candy. Girls are worth more than this advertising.

My girls, these girls in the image, and the girls walking past this display are worth more than this.

It might seem like something minor, something ridiculous to get fired up about. Another hysterical woman on the Internet just getting outraged for outrage sake. But it’s not, I’m not.

It’s a build up over time. It chips away at you.

It’s every ‘little’ moment girls are sexualised in this way which makes them believe that that’s what their worth in society is. We’ll, it’s not. Girls are worth a hell of a lot more than just being sexual playthings.

It’s time they were treated with more respect. It’s time more women, and more good men, in advertising spoke up against these types of campaigns and it’s time more men in advertising with these outdated attitudes shut their mouth.

Speak up people, let’s all vow to drown out the assholes.

The tide is turning girls. The tide is turning.

Bianca