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Burton Snowboards' Love Model Featuring Playboy Pics Spark Anger
Burton Snowboards is facing vocal opposition in response to its line of Love snowboards, which feature pictures of vintage Playboy models. As previously reported on NowPublic, the company has angered many locals in its hometown of Burlington, Vermont, a town known for its laidback, progressive attitude.
In October, more than 100 people protested outside Burton Snowboards headquarters, urging others to boycott the company's products.
Several local ski resorts have banned their employees from riding on the Burton Love snowboards. Even the local Girl Scouts are getting involved.
Carmel Quinn, who directs the Girl Scout Council of Vermont teen program, said she is talking to the group's teenage members about bringing the issue to lawmakers when the Vermont legislative session resumes this month.
That's something Girl Scout Brittany Wieland, 16, said she plans to do after she receives her internship assignment, which will pair her with one of the state's female legislators.
"I'd like them to make a law or something for the resorts to have a section of time, once or twice a week, where kids under 18 can't ski but people with those boards can, so you don't have to worry about the kids seeing the boards," Wieland said. "Snowboarding and skiing are supposed to be a family thing, not 'Hey, look at the naked person on my snowboard.' "
While Burton executives claim they are unhappy by what they feel is unfair criticism, they certainly don't mind all the attention that the protests have created.
The outcry hasn't made a dent in sales of the new lines, Burton cofounder Jake Carpenter told the Burlington newspaper Seven Days in November. The Playboy line, called Love, and a second line called Primo, which depicts mutilated hands, have "completely oversold by virtue of this exposure," he said.
It appears that Burton will be shying away from nudity, at least for a while. Burton's new edition of the Love snowboard will feature no nudity at all. You can check out a preview of the 2010 Love snowboards here.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 20:36 on January 6th, 2009
It's a matter of choice really. If you don't like them don't look at them.....there's not much on them that isn't in men's mags or the Internet. But the guys who buy them should not show them to younger kids, thats all!
at 05:02 on January 7th, 2009
Good job, protesters and Girl Scouts! It looks like your messsage got through. Nudity has no place on the ski slopes, which is a place where parents should be able to take their children without worrying about what they will see. There are numerous other places where nudity is readily available for adolescent "men" to view and fantasize about. Can't you (men) enjoy any activity without sex being thrown in there?
As for the mutilation boards, that's a lack of sensitivity toward anyone who suffers from an ILLNESS that drives them towards self-mutilation.
Calling these boards "art" is a vast overstatement. It's a marketing ploy to sell more boards- plain and simple.
at 01:09 on February 11th, 2009
This Is dumb these boards are amazing and kids will learn about it sooner or later
Stop bitching and deal with the fact that's it's a free country
at 14:02 on March 1st, 2009
i LOVE LOVE LOVE my burton LOVE.
really, i do.