Costa using Pride image of girl with breasts removed to support trans?

[Tryingmuchharder]

"Costa Coffee was today accused of glamourising 'complex and dangerous surgery' by covering a van with a cartoon image featuring mastectomy scars.
The UK's largest coffee chain defended its use of the image to promote 'inclusivity and diversity' but was branded 'crass and irresponsible' and 'absolutely bonkers' – and there were calls for a boycott of the company on social media.
The image, depicting an androgynous-looking character wearing long shorts with scars below each nipple, is taken from a mural designed by the chain for Brighton and Hove Pride last year."

I find the attempt to 'normalise' the removal of perfectly healthy breasts because someone feels more masculine is wrong. AIBU

@imed ’like’

This is absolutely disgraceful. Shame on Dr Zoe Williams for including BREAST BINDERS in a book she claims is “empowering” for girls aged 9+ 😡

Awful! Wtf!

Went to the local coffee shop - heaving. Costa was empty apart from old men who nurse a cup of tea for 3 hours

I suggest about half a nanosecond

Idly checked where I’d put my sticker on my way back. It had been removed (so I added a fresh one) but there was another sticker there! A Costa-specific one. Good Terfing whoever you are!

Awesome!

Wow disgusting. Breast binding for 9 years old girls. Puberty blockers and affirmation. Mutilation and then years of therapy. What a life.

How this can be considered anything but child abuse is beyond me. And with a background like mine I don't use that phrase lightly.

Thanks @ResisterRex for drawing attention to that insidious book depicting a girl in a binder (aimed at 9 year olds). I'm going to leave a review on Amazon against it as its currently got 5 stars. I want the author to know exactly what I think. I did the same for another aimed at 7 year olds which promoted the idea you might be born in the wrong body. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gender-Identity-Kids-Understand-Everybody/dp/1526366118/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2JEEBR7JEXNY6&keywords=Book+gender+identity+for+kids&qid=1691043764&sprefix=book+gender+identity+for+kids+%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-3

I also asked our local bookstore to remove it from their children's window display.

As I was buying a sandwich in a corner shop this morning, I noticed a woman going to the Costa machine. I didn't say anything, it's a small family run store in an area where "progressiveness" probably isn't that high on anyone's agenda.

However, it occurred to me that many of their machines are in the likes of Tesco etc. I think it may be worthwhile asking those sort of outlets if they are happy to be associated with this kind of image, pointing out the many, many issues with it as articulated throughout this thread.

i dont' think it's a problem of "adults can do what they like with their bodies" of course they can (no one can stop them anyhow). it's a case of stopping companies/whole industries exploiting/grooming young/vunerable people in order to max out their profits. that should not be allowed.

I agree

Omg, Costa please don’t normalise this. Fine to use an androgynous looking person, but with scars, who would walk in topless anyway?

How has society been so brainwashed to see this in any way as a positive thing?

It's absolutely disgusting. My daughter is autistic and so many of her peers are going for the boys names and their mothers are ordering breast binders.

It makes me want to scream.

But any kickback against this is met with cries of bigotry. There are swathes of people who don't care if girls, especially autistic girls end up removing their breasts and more.

Someone upthread said Eugenics and whilst that sounds like a conspiracy theory I'm beginning to wonder.

What happened to make this acceptable and normal? Was it covid when people were on the internet more? I can understand children being groomed but their parents have been groomed too. I think that they have lost their minds.

Thought I’d look up the latest regarding this situation, and came across this Costa response.

”In a statement, Costa Coffee told ITV News: "At Costa Coffee we celebrate the diversity of our customers, team members and partners.
"We want everyone that interacts with us to experience the inclusive environment that we create, to encourage people to feel welcomed, free and unashamedly proud to be themselves. The mural, in its entirety, showcases and celebrates inclusivity."

So they celebrate inclusivity, but there’s no apology that they have offended women, etc.

i plan to meet up with a friend tomorrow. costa in next was always our meeting place. I suggested the nearby M and S cafe instead!

I wonder if this article is useful in explaining how some of the double mastectomy surgeons promote their services. Glamourising these surgeries is not restricted to coffee products, even the surgeons glamourise them.

I am cognisant of those who have suffered with seeing depictions of these images so I am putting a warning here. I hope that I have removed the preview picture.

*WARNING: photographs of double mastectomies in this article

https://www.jamesesses.com/p/the-butcher-of-louth

I was not going to comment because there is no point doing that in a (mostly) transph0bic thread, but this is just laughable. The 'Under 25 brains are not developed,' bull. "Young people" are allowed to procreate, vote, enlist in wars. Young people of 25 years old or under are heading businesses, performing surgeries, treating patients. But when it comes to certain polarising topics, suddenly they are "too immature" to take such decisions 😒

I find the notion of a late teenager or young adult with undeveloped brains being responsible for a tiny human being MORE terrifying than anything else. If we are going to use this 'undeveloped brains' argument, surely it should be about how teen parents should not be allowed sole care of their kids? Which would not go so well, now, would it, in a site called Mumsnet.

To be clear, I don't think kids under 18 should have any lasting surgeries, whether it is enhancing or cutting off any organs. But after they become a legal adult, say, early twenties, it's their wish. Their body, their agency.

@captainmarvella This isn’t a transphobic thread. However, it’s commenting on the in-appropriateness of a trans person showing mastectomy scars on an advert.

The 'Under 25 brains are not developed,' bull.

Allow me to introduce to you, the Scottish sentencing guidelines in which a special case is made for - um - the under 25s:

www.scottishsentencingcouncil.org.uk/media/2171/sentencing-young-people-guideline-for-publication.pdf

Note that when it comes to crime, we are told:

"The character of a young person is not as fixed as the character of an older person"

As per the guidelines. But when it's minors and irreversible surgery, it's "empowering", "they know who they are", "listen to trans kids" etc etc.

There are lots of bad reviews on their Facebook page about this. Surprised they haven’t removed them.

after they become a legal adult, say, early twenties, it's their wish. Their body, their agency.

It is indeed. That doesn't mean we get to shrug off our own responsibility if we make false promises and promote risky medical interventions. Which that image does.

And of course, context matters. If an artist makes a mural for Pride then they might put some dark or morally ambiguous images in it. Even in a mural celebrating gay or trans lives not every image will necessarily be simply positive and aspirational, images can show a darker or sadder side too, like mastectomy scars. But if that part of the mural is used to advertise another product or service then the artistic context is lost and the image becomes simply aspirational.

Costa chose the wrong bit of the mural. Unless they really do want to normalise and promote mastectomy for the physically healthy?

Thanks, that was the point I was making when I made the original comment. It appears sometimes under 25's brains are deemed developed (making decisions about being in wrong body, surgery, puberty blockers etc) and sometimes not (responsibility for crime etc as per your eg). Cannot have it both ways surely?