These Women Are Using Valentine’s Day To Fight Against Sexual Harassment In the Workplace
"This Valentine's Day it's time to break up with Honey Birdette."
While Australian lingerie chain Honey Birdette has been using the lead up to Valentine’s Day to roll out a new ad campaign, former staff have escalated their campaign against the company and called on customers to “break up” with the brand.
Over the past few months former staff at Honey Birdette have been protesting against what they say are sexist work conditions. The company’s staff handbook encourages workers to respond to sexual harassment by flirting and employees are regularly required to wear stilettos and lingerie in-store. Former staff told Junkee that the company failed to adequately deal with complaints around sexual harassment.
In December staff rallied against the company in Melbourne, calling for a safer work environment, and burned Honey Birdette lingerie.
This morning former workers and activists held a protest outside the company’s Sydney headquarters, delivering a giant break up letter signed by more than a thousand supporters. The letter called on the company’s management to take concerns around sexual harassment seriously and improve health and safety procedures.
The campaign is also calling for a boycott of Honey Birdette and encouraging customers to shop with other lingerie shops like Passionfruit, Hopeless and Kisskill.
The Young Workers Centre, which helped organise the protests, said more than 50 different Honey Birdette employees had spoken up about their experiences with the company. One former employee, Harriett, addressed the rally and said that staff members were encouraged to give their phone numbers to male customers in order to increase sales.
They called for “a safe uniform where women can wear flats rather than stilettos, and where they won’t be sexualised by being required to wear lingerie.”
@egmaiden & @unionsnsw crew – thanks for helping give a voice to these women after their mistreatment at Honey Birdette #BreakUpWithBirdette pic.twitter.com/Awxyt0wwCd
— Claire Boland (@ClaireLBoland) February 13, 2017
Former worker's and allies standing against workplace harassment #notyourhoney #breakupwithbirdette pic.twitter.com/R65IzfUKLL
— Grobsnjwth (@CatherineJane94) February 13, 2017
“It’s time for Honey Birdette CEO Eloise Monaghan to take responsibility for the trauma being experienced by workers in her stores,” said Keelia Fitzpatrick, the Young Workers Centre coordinator.
“Eloise Monaghan cynically employs the language of ’empowerment’ in her marketing, whilst exploiting vulnerable women workers for her own profit.”
Honey Birdette management hasn’t directly responded to the complaints, but have described the allegations as “mistruths”.