Have I hit peak feminist or am I reading too much into this

[NothingOnTellyAgain]

In paperchase today I was browsing with DD (8) who liked some notepads (obviously aimed to appeal to the girl / teen girl market).

I looked at the display and as a bit .

There were 3 designs,
1 an avocado (ok - unless I am missing something)
1 an aubergine (widely accepted text speak for penis)
1 a peach (widely accepted to refer to bums, and drawn like a bum really, and with a heart stamped on one cheek so it looked like an arse tattoed with a heart)

Are they doing this on purpose? It seems really odd. Lots of people (mums and kids) might not realise especially with the dick one.

Someone did a thread the other day about girls tshirts with cherries on as well.

It's deliberate isn't it. Why do they do this? Any ideas?

I think avocado means vulva. That’s why it was on that ‘erotic’ book cover - Wetlands - a few years ago.

The "women love it on their face " (facials) reference was the one that jumped out at me!

The avocado may be a flase steer.

Cock and arse, no arguments around.

Weird as all fuck.

Imagine if I was like DH and didn't know and had sent her off to school with a notepad with emoji for penis on it?

What on earth do they think they are doing? I'm baffled. It can't be an unfortanate coincidence, but to do it deliberately means motivations that I can't begin to to fathom.

cock, cunt, woman's arse.

why????????????????

It is clearly aimed at young girls / teen girls.

Utterly baffled. It must be on purpose. But it CAN'T be, surely? Because that's bizarre and grim and weird.

Adults have always done this with kids stuff.
Think of all the sexual innuendo in cartoons aimed at the seven to ten year olds.
I always imagine them with that creepy con man smirk on their face when they are being "creative".

The idea of little kids taking this stuff to school and then being laughed at by older children and very upset / confused if/when they are told what it means is what's bothering me.

It's an invitation to a conversation which could be highly inappropriate. "Do you know what your pencil case means?".

"Get three of your five a day and keep everything peachy keen with this hard shell pencil case, featuring three of our favourite emojis! The hard shell protects your most precious pens, pencils and stationery accessories, with an eggplant charm attached to the zip for that extra detail- what's not to love?!"

What the actual fuck? Do they not know why the eggplant is such a favorite emoji? Or is someone at paperchase trolling people, knows what it is and convinced others who have no clue with "it's popular" leaving out why that is.

This is despicable, it's clearly aimed at (small) children!

The designer MUST know.

I'm all for hiding subtle adult jokes or innuendos into family things and humour that works on multiple levels, but this is beyond that. It is marketing a product to pre teens and early teens with sexual references so it's a bit grimy if I'm honest.

now I'll wait and see how many eggplant pencil cases turn up in September in school

It seems blatant to me. Ugh

They are horrible and the designer must know the meaning behind them. On their own without that meaning they are meaningless, not particularly attractive objects.

You might deplore marketing Cath Kidston style flowers and puppies at girls but at least they are pretty

Get three of your five a day and keep everything peachy keen with this hard shell pencil case, featuring three of our favourite emojis! The hard shell protects your most precious pens, pencils and stationery accessories, with an eggplant charm attached to the zip for that extra detail- what's not to love?!"

Is it just me but is there a leery and salacious undertone to that?

Is it just me but is there a leery and salacious undertone to that?

Not just you Lass. It reads that way to me too. I imagine it's intended to be funny. Ha. Ha. Ha. Nah.

I need to know the outcome of this [pencil] case.

I've seen the aubergine and peach references a lot lately. They're pretty obvious really. I didn't know that definition of avocado being straight appearing gay man though. Reminds me of the song about Pablo Picasso.
Yeah it probably is deliberate. If you want a fruit theme on products marketed towards children then stick to oranges, lemons and pineapples. No double meanings there (as far as I'm aware)

I don't think it's targeted at children because the avocado is a reference to millennials. Avocado print stuff is popular now anyway but that's what the avocado is associated with. It's because someone published an article claiming millenials would be able to afford a house if they stopped eating avocado toast.

Once you see cock, fanny, arse, you can’t under it.
I’m with you op, it’s deliberate and it’s shoddy- but it’s paperchase- quell surprise.

Hang on... Is Paperchase a kids' suitable stationery shop? Does it claim to be? Even as a teen I thought it was for older teens/adults given some of the subject matters of the greetings cards (and the prices!). I wouldn't take my primary school age child in Paperchase for school accessories.

God, I'm going to have to look much more critically at, well, everything.

This is actually quite grim. It's definitely someone having a laugh.

It's full of sparkles and sequins and glitter and cute animals and pencil cases

Yes that part of it has girls aged about 8- 15 in mind if have thought, like the next step on from smiggle! They hand a lot of things with that 2 way sequin effect which is all over smiggle etc at mo.

The cards and some of the other bits - picture frames fountain pens are for older for sure.

How many adult women use pencil cases? Let alone ones with cutesie pics all over them!

I find the suggestion they are not aimed at girls/ teen girls a bit of a reach tbh!

It's like Claire's or smiggle in that bit.

Go and have a look :)

My hairdresser recently told me about the aubergine. I had no idea. I have used peach as bum myself. I work in design, but I'm old so maybe I don't speak emoji very well.

Personally avocados are really trendy to eat sounds old by saying trendy

I used to have a country companions pencil tin at secondary school - cute little woodland animal drawings

Hang on... Is Paperchase a kids' suitable stationery shop? Does it claim to be? Even as a teen I thought it was for older teens/adults given some of the subject matters of the greetings cards (and the prices!). I wouldn't take my primary school age child in Paperchase for school accessories

It is a high street stationery shop with multiple branches. It has a "kid's zone" on its website- which includes this.

www.paperchase.co.uk/stationery/essentials/pencil-cases/avocado-pu-pencil-case.html

It is not the Ann Summers of the stationery world.

I find the suggestion they are not aimed at girls/ teen girls a bit of a reach tbh!

It was a very feeble and implausible excuse.

I've often used paperchase to buy gifts for nieces aged 9-16

I don't think it's targeted at children because the avocado is a reference to millennials

The avocado pencil case I linked to is in the "kids' zone" and "back to school" sections of their website.

The set for this product has text "Are you peachy keen for the new school year or first day on a new job?"

Stationary featuring fruit and veg has for some reason been a big thing with primary school this year - I know as it's my kids age.

DD and her friends have all been mad for things with melon, strawberries and stuff. So it's a theme fully in line with current primary school fashion, as it were.

I don't know why I'm needing to justify this! It's just totally obvious :D