Burton Snowboards recently launched two board lines for men, the “LOVE” and “PRIMO” lines, which have rankled the ire of advocates for women, children, and the mentally ill. The PRIMO line features graphic depictions of self-mutilation; gruesome step-by-step images of making common hand gestures (peace, #1, etc.) by removing the unneeded digits. This line is condemned by mental health professionals and others who work with people who engage in self-harming activities, often times as a result of traumatic experiences like child sexual abuse.
The LOVE line is a collaboration with Playboy, and features images of nearly-nude women – apparently actual 1970’s Playboy pictorials. The bottom deck of the boards is adorned with a woman’s naked ass. The product description reads:
"Hi. My name is Love™ and I’m on the market for someone who’s looking to score serious action, no matter where they like to stick it. I enjoy laps through the park; long, hard grinds on my meaty Park Edges followed by a good, hot waxing. Whether you’re hitting it from the front or the back, my mid wide shape, supple flex, and twin tips like it kinky. Keegan and Mikkel love riding me, I hope you will too."
Yup, porn, from a business that claims to put innovation at the forefront. That’s right, porn, from an allegedly woman-friendly, Vermont-based business, whose co-owner Donna Carpenter has stated that the “overall mission at Burton is to be the brand of choice and an employer of choice for women and we see those two as very closely related. The more women we have driving the business and holding leadership roles the more we are going to appeal to women as a brand.” I couldn’t agree with Donna more, but I am confused by the approach Burton has chosen.
Burton has been unwilling to engage in dialogue, aside from brief, trite statements about artistry, blah blah blah, issued by email. So I brought my daughter Lily to her first protest rally at the Burton factory last Thursday. It was a beautiful, crisp Vermont autumn day. Protesters gathered in a park before walking the short distance to Burton headquarters. Burton let us know we were permitted on the first 3 feet of their property, which turned out to be a cattail-filled ditch. So we stood on the edge of the road, spread out 100 yards long. Organizers and speakers addressed us from the opposite side of the road, with a handful of Burton employees and/or supporters standing at the periphery. Cars and delivery trucks passed through the protest at regular intervals. But even with these less than ideal circumstances, the spirited group accomplished the goal of drawing attention to this gap in Burton’s social responsibility.
We heard from Mark Redmond, director of Spectrum, a nonprofit youth services organization that recently removed itself from a partnership with Burton aimed at getting youth involved with snowboarding (the Chill Program). It can be hard for nonprofits to stay true to their mission in the face of shrinking resources, so I commend Spectrum for their courage and integrity. Turns out others feel the same way, as individuals and businesses (including the Alpine Shop in S. Burlington) have come forward to donate equipment and passes so Spectrum’s youth can still get on the slopes this winter.
We invited someone from Burton to come speak with us, but aside from a silver-haired guy lurking behind the air exchange unit on the roof of the building and maybe this guy –
there was no sign of an official Burton presence.
I think it was a great experience for Lily, and it felt good to me to finally take some concrete action. I’ve been talking to people individually and even trying to engage with some young Burton fans on a Facebook group page, but it’s been frustrating and disheartening to hear the ignorance and entitlement of some young men today. I think the march was as much about sending a message to Burton as it was to create a sense of community for the people working to hold businesses accountable for their $$-driven choices.
This Burton thing has been dominating my life of late. I recognize that this is a tiny drop in a huge bucket of corporate and media objectification of women, but it was a drop that landed in my backyard, so I felt compelled to get involved. I could write lots more – about how this isn’t about free speech, it’s a matter of judgment, integrity and social responsibility; about how you can’t get much LESS cutting edge than 70’s porn images; and about how there’s nothing comical about self-mutilation. But I need to put this to rest for a bit and spend time with my family! Speaking of which – I really love my husband, for how he “gets it,” for how he puts up with my obsessions and supports my passion about this issue. There is hope!
