More broadly it speaks to a hijacking of the feminist movement by a modern repackaging of all it fought against as now being "the spoils of victory". Congratulations ladies! We won, now we can CHOOSE to be objectified.

Whether you believe Roddick and Co should have the right to do this is irrelevant, the article is more concerned with "Are they RIGHT to do this?" A legitimate question.

‘Living in the shadow of her mother Anita, founder of the Body Shop and arguably the pioneer of ethical consumerism……Like her mother, Roddick, 38, is taking her product and giving it an ethical story.’

Pathetic isn’t it? One should not visit the sins of the parent on the progeny, however, the progeny is dopey enough and duplicitous enough to perpetuate the myth of her mother’s Body Shop as being a ‘caring company that helped to protect the environment, indigenous peoples and animals by selling ‘natural” products.’

In fact the 1500 Body Shops with their large carbon footprint, makes wide use of non-renewable petrochemicals, synthetic colours, animal products and preservatives, and in many of their products they use only tiny amounts of botanical-based ingredients.

Medical experts have warned about the potential adverse effects on the skin of some of these synthetic ingredients. The Body Shop also regularly irradiate certain products to try to kill microbes – radiation from uranium.

But what a splendid marketing ploy of Roddicks - enhancing her ‘altruistic’ and 'ethical' reputation by teaming up with the likes of Oxfam et al to promote her product.

Meanwhile silly impotent old buggers and women with a ‘cocked-up’ view of their own ‘inadequacies’ can splurge £60.00 to stimulate their flagging senses with the ‘Wet Weekend,’ gift pack which includes a sumptuous silk blindfold, feather tickler, Coco de Mer’s ‘natural’ Spill lubricant, ‘edible’ Hazelnut massage oil, Coco Fesse bath milk and a little Ember aphrodisiac toxic candle which is made to melt over your lover.

Well no thanks Ms Roddick – I don't buy your neo-liberal spin so I’ll pass since I’m particular about what I put in my mouth or on my twinkle - organic products are best!

benk: << This business makes money by dressing up consumerism and conforming to current fashions as feminism. >>

Does it? Having looked at the Coco de Mer website to which the article links, I think that may be an artefact of the author. Having been exhorted to try a "cock ring" for my lover's benefit, I found under the rather saccharine "Our Philosophy" heading, after some extended babble about a palm seed, this:

<< The Coco de Mer seed germinates from both a male and female plant. Whereas the seed so closely resembles the female form, the male plant has a stamen, which looks strangely like a penis. A huge penis at that, and one that smells of sticky sweet honey. At Coco de Mer we celebrate both genders and believe that between two consenting adults there should be no barriers to love. Like the Coco de Mer, we all come from two and therefore we honor both the feminine and masculine aspects of life. >>

I don't know about you, but this reminds me more of some of the hippy-dippy stuff I read in the 70s than any kind of feminism with which I'm familiar. How Bray reads any of the Coco de Mer 'philosophy' as some sort of 'sell out' of feminism is a mystery to me, I'm afraid.

CJ

<< I don't know about you, but this reminds me more of some of the hippy-dippy stuff I read in the 70s than any kind of feminism with which I'm familiar. How Bray reads any of the Coco de Mer 'philosophy' as some sort of 'sell out' of feminism is a mystery to me, I'm afraid. >>

:D

The Abigail Brays and Melinda Tankard-Reists are not about feminism. That they pin their ideology onto feminism is a retrograde step for women who truly want choice to be themselves and express themselves freely. If one simply mentions the word "sex" anywhere in their vicinity, off they race in their ankle length skirts (and a scarf on their heads if it's a Sunday), no doubt shrieking a few 'hail marys' as they go. Yeah, I know I am generalising, I'm sure MTR regularly decks herself out in a mini-skirt and boots, however her articles suggest the former description.

Meanwhile young children continue to be exploited by greedy and lascivious adults, while these sexually challenged women screech about a sex-shop franchise. I would rather my love bring me home some massage oil than a hard-core DVD any day. But that's just me. One woman's erotica is another's porn, I wish the MTR brigade would focus on issues where people really are being hurt.

Unfortunately depraved men and woman who have refused to bring their own sexual misconduct under control now want another generation of sexualized girls and boys. The fact that their are enough deviants to support this kind of trash shows why we have so many amoral Green voters. The problem isn't the deviant selling this trash but instead the sick hearts that have embraced it.

Severin

One of the criticisms of raunch culture is that one stifling conformity has replaced another. Women are under peer pressure to exhibit this one type of sexuality, ironically to "prove" that they don't let others tell them what to do. Thank you for illustrating how this peer pressure works with this bitchy little gem; "If one simply mentions the word "sex" anywhere in their vicinity, off they race in their ankle length skirts (and a scarf on their heads if it's a Sunday), no doubt shrieking a few 'hail marys' as they go." Don't they have a right to wear long skirts or practice their religion?

I get that you misunderstand feminism to mean "women who truly want choice to be themselves and express themselves freely." Its just a shame that some choices are more allowable than others.