I’m proud to be working with Hot Octopuss, a London-based inclusive sex toy company.
This week they launched the Show Stigma The Finger campaign, starring six activists wearing nothing but the middle finger.
Show Stigma The Finger was designed to be displayed across the Big Apple but was banned by numerous media buyers, deemed “too inappropriate.” Despite falling foul of regulations, the company rallied support from local New York street artists to bring the campaign to life at one location in Manhattan and online. It hopes to highlight and break down prejudices and phobias standing in the way of women achieving healthy and happy sex lives – a mission the brand has been working on since 2011.
“‘No’ wasn’t an acceptable answer for this one. When we were told the ads were too inappropriate, we knew we had a duty to make sure the world saw it. The stars of the campaign are giving a fearless F-you to years of stereotypes that society has placed upon them. They’re standing up for anyone who’s ever been told they are too big, too old or not pretty enough to enjoy sex. It’s our responsibility to make sure these voices are not silenced, so we are going ahead with the campaign despite what the authorities say,” says Jules Margo, COO and co-founder.
You can see the campaign in Downtown Manhattan, NY until the end of the year or online. Its launch coincides with the release of their latest toy – the DiGiT – a gender-neutral finger sex toy that demonstrates how powerful a single finger can be. For every toy purchased the company will be donating 10% of profits to charities chosen by the campaign’s six activists.
The faces behind the fingers are rebelling against homophobia, ageism, ableism, colourism, body shaming and transphobia.
The company collaborated with multi-disciplinary artist, Aleksandra Karpowicz to execute the campaign.
Join the movement online via the hashtag #ShowStigmaTheFinger on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. www.showstigmathefinger.com.
Photo by Cowan Whitfield