Children's Society advert

[Vegantastic]

I'm a lurker on (most) these threads, but find them very enlightening and value them enormously (thank you). This ad for the Children's Society popped up on my Facebook feed - a young boy wearing makeup in a 'drag' kind of way. Has anyone else seen it? I find it very dispiriting and frustrating that this is presumably the lead-up to their charity Christmas appeal and it's a teen boy wearing makeup. Does everything have to be about trans issues? Can't the Children's Society use a photo that might be slightly more effective in terms of raising funds? Without being calculating about it, wouldn't an older child on the streets (as per a Centrepoint ad) or a small child looking neglected/hungry be more effective?

I haven't seen the ad but surely the problem is that a teenage boy wearing make up is instantly seen as trans not just a male with make up.

Maybe it will be effective?

Perhaps they're trying to recruit new donors from whatever group it is that give to "top surgery" GoFundMes and actually responds to "give trans people money for the emotional labour they just expended transplaining stuff to you." It would be great if whoever those people are would give to better causes!

Also if you have searched on trans issues in the past OP maybe it's a (mis)targeted ad?

There’s nothing wrong with boys wearing makeup.
I haven’t seen the advert, is it definitely trans themed? It would be great if boys wearing makeup was normalised and doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with them/ born in wrong body/ whatever other woke bollocks.

One of their current things from the Good Childhood report is the concern over toxic masculinity and boys worries over how they look. Could the advert have been about that?

The ‘young boy’ looks 30 to me

I agree there's nothing wrong with boys wearing makeup. Interestingly, I was looking through their recent ads and campaigns to find it (and couldn't) and the style of their advertising is very different (and more in the style I would expect from that charity). So it does seem to have been tailored for me - I was recently reading something about drag culture in the arts, amongst all manner of things. So it does seem to have been specifically targeted at me and, yes, trying to recruit new, different
donors.

Interesting re toxic masculinity and the Good Childhood report - I'll take a look. Thanks.