Mermaids ‘stories’ - disturbing

[tabbycatstripy]

If you copy this link and you go on the Mermaids website, and look down at the story of an 11 year old child (“Jenny”), you will see it.

mermaidsuk.org.uk
/news/mermaids-tales/

What is going on there?

That Mermaids think this a sweet story and don't see how wildly inappropriate that image is simply confirms my profound disquiet about the organisation. It's grim.

How on earth did that get past a) Jennie’s parents, b) the people who put the stories on mermaids website?
It has safeguarding written all over it.

I wonder how these stories will date… wondered what happened to Desmond (daren’t search online).

Oh and I had to go into a s**tbucks today (no flipping public loos) with a child who couldn’t wait to pee! Luckily it was single sex loos and I looked over the offerings and posters - hmmmm no fishy stuff (they definitely used to have it as I could see it when I used to walk by).

The photo I guess everyone is talking about is with a well known drag queen who was on rupauls drag race I imagine photo was taken at a meet and greet

The photo is in a bedroom, FFS. The two of them are sitting on a bed. The drag Queen is dressed like a little girl. The 11 year old is also in young girl clothing.

‘The photo I guess everyone is talking about is with a well known drag queen who was on rupauls drag race I imagine photo was taken at a meet and greet’

So whose is the bedroom? Is it like some sort of film set?

I still have deep misgivings about it. The creepy expression. The bed. The baby clothes.

Thoroughly disconcerting, and calls into question the parents’ judgment as well as - obviously - Mermaids’s.

The whole thing is a bit baffling.

does remind be of when a friend and I use to give fake but hard to spell names in Starbucks 😂 Siobhan is a favorite… or confuse them with the spelling…

”that Helen with a W”

I can no longer look at the Starbucks cup names in such innocence.

‘The drag Queen is dressed like a little girl. The 11 year old is also in young girl clothing.’

This isn’t actually an 11 year old male child presenting as a girl (whatever that means and whatever we might think of it). It’s an 11 year old male child being taught to ape a misogynistic stereotype that’s fetishised by people with questionable intentions (whether the drag queen is ‘well known’ or not is irrelevant).

Is Starbucks funding mermaids?
every child’s story mentions Starbucks playing a positive part in their life
how odd
it’s just a coffee shop

Starbucks did a partner thing with Mermaids. I don’t know if it’s still going on.

Those children seem so lost. And it's unutterably sad that someone calling out a name on a plastic coffee cup is seen as validating - the generator of confidence and sense of self worth.
Of all the things in the world that should contribute to a child / young adult's sense of identity, character, personality, development and self worth, these poor children are reliant on a fucking plastic coffee cup. And it's pushed by an ideology and "charities" so profoundly ignorant of child welfare, safety and development. They deserve so much better.

Starbucks were also selling mermaid biscuits or something and giving some of the money to Mermaids, it's on that other thread.

That's a seriously disturbing photo. How the hell have we come to a world where this is in any way ok?

Could be this thread
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4027375-Starbucks-advert

A male dressed as a young girl with another male dressed as a young girl. Hyper-sexualised expressions and poses. It is all so scary.

I can't stop seeing Jennie's eager, hopeful face beside this child's rose-tinted story. It makes my heart ache. The adults who let down and mislead children like this are unforgiveable.

I'm baffled as to why Mermaids, or anyone else, thought this was a good photo to put on this child's story. I'm sure it will be taken down soon. But already downloaded by paedophiles everywhere. And as others have pointed out, Jennie will never be able to delete it from the internet. The whole thing is tragic.

I think we've had threads about this before.

I remember looking at the books on the bookshelf and being quite concerned about the (I'm sure pretend) titles. Mostly about death.

When I was researching my art history dissertation I came across a publication exploring how women are very often portrayed as dead or dying in art. Looking back I can see it was a feminist piece, I wasn't hugely aware of deeper feminism back then and my dissertation was on a slightly different topic, but the publication always stayed with me - if I had my time again my dissertation would have been v different.

Another drag queen locally was performing with a name taken from JonBenet Ramsay and looked deathly ill. till enough of us complained.

Or this one
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3821776-mermaids-sponsored-by-starbucks

Not difficult to find a more modern but equally chilling analysis.

The world of modelling has often used models who pose as if dying.

It makes me so sick that drag queens do this, and then charities rubber stamp this as "acceptance without exception."

Is it any wonder women and girls don't want to be female?

pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/aisthesis/article/download/46/43/198

Thanks for links female I think there's been even more thread that those two.

How the fuck that charity exists I do not know.

Death and furry stuff.

Isn't that Scaredy Cat the drag artist in the pic?

Is it a meet & greet kind of set up? I know lots of people take their kids to 'Meet the Queens' type events.

The bedroom is 100% Scaredy's aesthetic. His girlfriend does the same kind of 'drag' too. It's like baby-doll manga or something.

Slightly off track but relevant thread to drag queens Drag queen named after murdered 6 year old girl www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4076782-drag-queen-named-after-murdered-6-year-old-girl

The link doesn't work for me

Here's the picture. In what context would it be appropriate for an 11 year old child to sit cuddled up close on a bed with an adult man the child doesn't know?