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Original poster

Mermaids - sinister photo

117 replies

IrishMumInLondon2020 · 02/07/2021 06:29

What are they trying to do here with the photo of ‘Jennie’ and her friend on the bed? Makes me extremely uncomfortable.
mermaidsuk.org.uk/news/mermaids-tales/

OP posts:
SmugglersHaunt · 02/07/2021 08:22

Just vile. I really can’t understand how it’s come to this

Szyz2020 · 02/07/2021 08:21

So Jennie is a natal boy who presents as a girl but then dresses up as - I don’t know what? - A drag queen? A baby doll caricature? Both of which seem to have unpleasant sexual or adult undertones. And Jennie is 11. 11 years old.

Tinysalmonswimminginastream · 02/07/2021 08:18

Why are trans kids seemingly not entitled to the same levels of safeguarding as other children. Its horrifying

This. They deserve the same safeguarding as everyone else, and it feels like they are not getting it because they are trans.

toffeebutterpopcorn · 02/07/2021 08:15

When they grow up - what then? The parents need a kick up the bum for exposing them.

Clymene · 02/07/2021 08:13

Those children are being exploited. Not just that one. All of them.

nauticant · 02/07/2021 08:11

A discussion from the time:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3821776-mermaids-sponsored-by-starbucks

toffeebutterpopcorn · 02/07/2021 08:11

Generally they use child models.

Xoxoxoxoxoxox · 02/07/2021 08:09

It's not normal for a charity to promote their sponsors like this, using the children to advertise their sponsor so overtly.
I can understand other charities such as Save the Children use children in the advertising for themselves, but I can't remember any examples of a charity using their clients to advertise a third party for their own financial gain.

toffeebutterpopcorn · 02/07/2021 08:09

Still better than the photo of the ‘drag child’ meeting and greeting with a naked Queen. Yes buck naked.

nauticant · 02/07/2021 08:09

That's from February 2020. It was when Mermaids and Starbucks announced a cross-promotion funding/branding campaign:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8008871/Starbucks-rapped-100-000-controversial-transgender-charity.html

Justwalkyourfineassoutthedoor · 02/07/2021 08:08

@BraveBananaBadge

It looks as if that picture could be a staged meet and greet at an event.

The boy who chose his new name by social media poll was a depressing insight into what that could all be about.

It is a meet and greet, the guy she’s sitting with is a drag performer ‘Scaredy Kat’ (he was on season 1 of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK) and the ‘bedroom’ is a stage set up not an actual bedroom.
BraveBananaBadge · 02/07/2021 08:02

@WarriorN

It looks as if that picture could be a staged meet and greet at an event.

I agree, but wtf is a meet and greet event doing using a cute and fluffy child styled adult's bedroom?

It's almost worse and there's so much intended infantilising fetish. Purposefully and publicly.

That's true, and a whole other matter. I don't understand these people who let their pre-teen kids watch Drag Race, never mind go along to drag events.
YouSetTheTone · 02/07/2021 07:56

That’s truly chilling. And when you have Virgin Media using ‘Cheryl Hole’ in Twitter adverts (may also be elsewhere but I’ve only seen it on Twitter) it’s part of a normalisation of drag in our society so this this step with Jennie doesn’t seem so glaring.
But why is it the case that major brands can parody women, using names that are offensive terms about the female anatomy?
It’s all shocking.
Starbucks and Virgin Media. When it’s all this insidious how on earth are people going to fight for safe guarding?

toffeebutterpopcorn · 02/07/2021 07:54

There is a whole thing around drag - I’ve seen social media with little boys wanting to be a queen (not a woman but a sassy, queen). Very odd.

Whatwouldscullydo · 02/07/2021 07:49

Not only celebrate art but you will probably get deleted for using the G word here

WarriorN · 02/07/2021 07:49

It looks as if that picture could be a staged meet and greet at an event.

I agree, but wtf is a meet and greet event doing using a cute and fluffy child styled adult's bedroom?

It's almost worse and there's so much intended infantilising fetish. Purposefully and publicly.

TheArtfulCodger · 02/07/2021 07:48

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Whatwouldscullydo · 02/07/2021 07:45

Exactlywhat, swap the clothes, make up and hair for jeans and a sweater, 5 o'clock shadow, ditch the pink and blue decor and you've a child cuddling a strange man in his bedroom

Drs, teachers etc, people who know about safguarding, wouldn't even put themselves in that situation in a million years. An adult willing to do that. Well.massive red flag. But then we've seen 3 year olds crawling over drag Queens in libraries too . Parents have lost the plot not only standing there watching but taking a bloody photo too

BraveBananaBadge · 02/07/2021 07:44

It looks as if that picture could be a staged meet and greet at an event.

The boy who chose his new name by social media poll was a depressing insight into what that could all be about.

NashvilleQueen · 02/07/2021 07:42

Who is the other person with Jennie?? What's it supposed to show? That she likes playing weird dress up with a drag artist?

Also those words are not Jennie's. As others have said they've been drafted by a PR person.

WarriorN · 02/07/2021 07:40

Exactly what, swap the clothes, make up and hair for jeans and a sweater, 5 o'clock shadow, ditch the pink and blue decor and you've a child cuddling a strange man in his bedroom.

FakeFruitShoot · 02/07/2021 07:38

Mermaids is just extremely problematic. And yes, reads like one of those "Advertorials" for Starbucks. Awful.

Whatwouldscullydo · 02/07/2021 07:37

I cant think of any situation outside of a parent where youd allow an adult not only in a child's bedroom but that close to them. That would make you shudder even if it was an uncle or grandad.

Why are trans kids seemingly not entitled to the same levels of safeguarding as other children. Its horrifying

SwanShaped · 02/07/2021 07:31

Ducking hell. What’s with the sex doll lips too. I mean, do the kids know what they look like? Why is no one saying to them?

Leafstamp · 02/07/2021 07:31

I echo above comments.