Binders. The world has gone mad.

Spot on, Calistemon.

So is the clinic which has free condoms in a basket on the reception desk where teens can pick them up promoting teenage sex?

A clinic?

You mean a medical centre, not a cosmetics shop?

Lush is not even a High Street chemist with qualified pharmacists on site to advise. At least they would take a professional stance and advice.

This is beyond the remit of a shop which sells stinky bath bombs.

Anyone can walk in and pick them up. No questions and they are free. Most parents won't know.

The question by the way was is it encouraging teenage sex?

As condoms are not an age restricted item, anyone of any age can buy them from a range of high street shops. Binders are a different thing entirely. But to answer your question a clinic making condoms freely available to teenagers is facilitating safe(r) sex. Happy?

To my knowledge no one has been unable to breathe, suffered back pain, popped out a rib or damaged their penis by wearing a too tight condom. awaits being told that this is a common problem

Chewbacca I'm sure someone will be along soon with a known contact who suffered said injuries from a condom

trisher Given that it's possible to buy condoms from dispensing machines in public toilets, do you think binders should be freely available in the same way since you seem to equate them?

In some parts of Africa, pubescent girls are subjected to "breast ironing," supposedly to halt their breasts from developing. Hot stones are rubbed over the breasts resulting in burns and scarring that leads to problems with breast feeding in later life. The UN called for a ban on the practice, saying that it was brutal and abusive and should be stopped.
Breast binding, when done without correct advice and support also leads to problems in later life, especially if the girl does decide to have a full mastectomy when transitioned.

Shame on you Lush.

Chewbacca

To my knowledge no one has been unable to breathe, suffered back pain, popped out a rib or damaged their penis by wearing a too tight condom. --awaits being told that this is a common problem--

No the consequences of using a condom incorrectly are simply 3 potentially disrupted lives. A boy who picked up something but used it without advice, the girl who had sex with him and got pregnant and the baby she is carrying. And yet these things are freely available. The failure rate. of condoms when used correctly is 2% when used incorrectly it's 15%.
Binders can similarly cause problems if incorrectly used. They aren't free. There are Apps available which give comprehensive advice on binding.
Why the disparity?
Because somehow it is seen as culturally acceptable to use condoms but unacceptable to use binders.

I don’t think contraception and body altering are the same thing at all.

Breast binding is better equated to tattooing, body piercing, cosmetic surgery that alters the shape of the body or features.

We don’t allow under sixteens to make a choice about that and it is illegal for anyone to carry out that sort of body altering on them, so why is breast binding allowed to be a commercial enterprise?

Would you change the law for body altering trisher and where would you set the age limit, if any?

But as already pointed out Peasblossom binders are commercially available, so they do not resemble piercing or tattoo procedures which are regulated and which any provider can be prosecuted for undertaking on an underage subject.
Binding if undertaken properly does not permanently change any body and surgery which does do so is illegal.

Are lush ensuring that binding is done properly then?

Miss A

Since when companies make sure their products are properly used according to their standards?

What an unrealistic standard.
The medical fields also trusts the patients follow instructions

MissAdventure I don’t believe they claim that, just that they will supply them to children without their parents’ knowledge. It’s a new sales gimmick and they don’t care whether it causes damage or not. You have to admit, it’s got them a lot of publicity. Shame Nancy Kelly wasn’t asked for her opinion about it by Emma Barnett on Thursday. It would have been interesting to listen to her trying not to answer.

Hithere

Miss A

Since when companies make sure their products are properly used according to their standards?

What an unrealistic standard.
The medical fields also trusts the patients follow instructions

The medical field issue huge lists of dos and don'ts with their products.

Even a packet of nuts warns us that the product may contain nuts.

This is not what you wrote originally.

Instructions can be clearly written in the package and the person choose not to follow them

How can a store make sure instructions are followed as written?
They can't - with soaps, bath bombs or binders

I originally asked if lush were ensuring binding was done properly.

I'm not sure what your point is.

My point is - a store cannot be made responsible if a customer does not follow instructions.

What do you suggest, having binder police being posted in every home to make sure it is used as intended?
Having users go to store to ensure it is put on properly?

Breast ironing ... foot binding...FGM. Is there no end to the suffering of women? Do females not suffer enough just for being born female?

I don't know which clinic has free condoms, but if kids are going to have sex it's better they don't get pregnant. That is avoiding unnecesary interventions like young pregnancies or abortions, both of which can be traumatic I expect. But binders are likely to cause unnecessary interventions if the wearer faints, develops a skin infection or musculo skeletal issues as a result of wearing. I don't see how you can draw a comparison between contraception which prevents a problem and binding which causes one.

No, I suggest that it is probably better to ensure that binders are only issued to adults, who can make an informed choice whether to follow the instructions or not.
A child is considered not to be able to make adult choices, hence safeguarding policies.

The same applies to condoms who provides the instructions and who checks they are being used properly?
The difference? Condoms are actually free!!!

OnwardandUpward

Breast ironing ... foot binding...FGM. Is there no end to the suffering of women? Do females not suffer enough just for being born female?

I don't know which clinic has free condoms, but if kids are going to have sex it's better they don't get pregnant. That is avoiding unnecesary interventions like young pregnancies or abortions, both of which can be traumatic I expect. But binders are likely to cause unnecessary interventions if the wearer faints, develops a skin infection or musculo skeletal issues as a result of wearing. I don't see how you can draw a comparison between contraception which prevents a problem and binding which causes one.

Binders cause problems if not used correctly. Condoms cause problems if not used correctly. There is a 15% failure rate when they are incorrectly used. That means for every 100 condoms given away 15 girls could get pregnant.
Most of the problems with binders are reversable and don't even happen if the binder is used properly. There's a 2% failure rate even when a condom is used properly.

All contraception is free to under 16s and condoms are freely available at most medical facilities.

Yes. But condoms are taught about in school in sex education lessons, if parents consent. If the sex education classes are adequate, kids should know these things already.

I do not know if binders are taught at school. A school would be a more appropriate place if binders were to be given away- after education by teachers who are already deemed safe to talk to kids about personal matters. Lush is completely the wrong place and it's inappropriate.