Striptease Charity Stunt Draws Complaints From Nonprofit Organizations

July 14, 2008

Striptease Charity Stunt Draws Complaints From Nonprofit Organizations

A Web campaign that encourages young people to post striptease videos of themselves online as a way of raising clothing donations for homeless youths has angered many of the charities the effort is supposed to benefit, reports the Star Tribune, in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The campaign is a joint project between Virgin Mobile, a cellphone company, and the National Network for Youth, a Washington lobbying group that represents more than 150 organizations that help homeless youths.

The campaign asked young people to post videos of themselves stripping to music. Clothing companies would then donate new clothes based on the number of times the videos were viewed.

Officials at some of the charities that were supposed to benefit from the campaign said they were never consulted about the concept and are disgusted by the idea of young people stripping as a means to get clothes for homeless youths.

Rebecca Lentz, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities, called the charity stunt “distasteful and inappropriate and exploitative. We never authorized this nor were we ever approached to be involved.”

The concept is especially offensive, Ms. Lentz said, because so many youths on the street have been sexually exploited within a day or two of becoming homeless.

“It’s unfortunate it’s become so explosive,” said Victoria Wagner, the head of the lobbying group. She said her group is rethinking the controversial campaign.

Officials at Virgin Mobile, who had previously said they had established “good taste” criteria to keep videos “fun but not salacious,” could not be reached by the Star Tribune for comment.

Comments

I agree with Rebecca: it’s distasteful, inappropriate and exploitative. It simply doesn’t promote high motives but rather panders to prurient interests

— Larry C. Johnson Jul 14, 02:48 PM #
Yeah – but people are talking about it. If these kids aren’t actually exploiting themselves – if only symbolically so – then look at all the conversation that has been stimulated about this issue!

The awareness is great.

— Betsy Jul 15, 09:51 AM #
In a time when charities are struggling just to provide the basics, a tasteless campaign like this will make it harder for legitimate fund seekers to do our jobs.Shame on you, and the fool who thought it up.

— Martin Haley Jul 15, 01:13 PM #
Awareness of what? How rediculous this idea is? If anything it completely distracts from the cause. They are treating youth homelessness like it’s Axe body spray.

— CP Jul 15, 01:42 PM #
thx for the opportunity to comment: i think social good/ nonprofit professionals can at least be satisfied that these jokers who thought this up were truly not in the business of social good, rather, theyre about selling out to make their buck/ meet their objective in the typical for-profit mode. Thank goodness something called shame still exists or there’d be nothing to stop them even in the face of others’ outrage.

— Writer Jul 16, 03:04 PM #

Commenting is closed for this article.

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