‘She’s Coming’ campaign from sexual wellness company Dame takes aim at new legislation
A Texas lawmaker says a campaign featuring ads for sex toys rolling through Dallas and other cities is part of a “troubling trend” aimed at the “sexualization of children in our society.”
The “She’s Coming” campaign from sexual wellness company Dame features a mobile billboard with an image of Dame’s “flagship” giant wand vibrator. In a Feb. 25 statement, Dame founder Alexandra Fine said the campaign was “sparked by a series of troubling legislative attempts to curtail sexual freedom and pleasure, particularly for women” and “designed to literally stop traffic and spark conversations about sexual wellness.”
Fine says the trucks are intended as a “loud, proud reminder that all women’s bodies, like all bodies, deserve freedom, pleasure and autonomy” in the face of proposed legislation like House Bill 1549, which would classify sex toys as “obscene devices” and require stores selling them to register as “sexually-oriented” businesses, with fines up to $5,000 for noncompliance.
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“When those in power attempt to shame or outlaw pleasure, Dame’s response is to normalize it instead, proudly and publicly,” she said.
The Dallas campaign, running through June, is expected to expand to New York and Miami, Florida, with Dame donating condoms to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. More than just about “clapping back at Texas lawmakers,” Fine says the campaign is aimed at promoting “women’s sexual empowerment” and “body autonomy.”
“By putting an attention-grabbing, pleasure-positive message on wheels, Dame aims to show that women’s sexual empowerment belongs in the public conversation,” said Fine. “It’s a timely stance as debates over body autonomy rage and societal attitudes toward sex are at a tipping point between openness and repression.”
Fine, a self-described “sexologist,” co-founded Dame in 2014 along with Janet Lieberman after creating the first successful hands-free couples’ vibrator in 2014. Identified as a “feminist sex toy inventor,” Fine was listed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 — Retail and Ecommerce list in 2018.
On a company blog, Fine identified herself as “non-binary” and says she formerly worked at a Planned Parenthood location in the St. Louis area. In addition to the mobile billboards, Dame announced a partnership earlier this month with Planned Parenthood to donate thousands of condoms to “those who need them most.”
Rep. Hillary Hickland, a Republican state lawmaker from Belton, located about 25 miles north of Austin, said she introduced HB1549 after hearing concerns from local city council members and concerned residents who spotted “prominent displays of obscene devices in local big-box retailers.”
“While the placement of these items varies from store to store, one thing that remains consistent is that they are often displayed in areas where they would be easily visible to children,” Hickland told CP on Wednesday. “Since filing this bill, I’ve heard from many more individuals from all over Texas who have shared their own experiences, along with photos, highlighting how widespread this issue is in our communities.”
Texas state law already regulates the sale and marketing of “obscene devices,” but Hickland says Dame’s truck campaign only further demonstrates the need for increased regulation.
“It is shocking that rolling billboards advertising obscene devices are now driving through Texas cities. Why should we, as a society, accept this?” she said. “Parents do not consent to exposing their children to adult content while driving their kids to school. Why are we … prioritizing the desires of some adults over the innocence and well-being of our children?”
Hickland, who is also a mom of four, says she takes her “responsibility to Texas children very seriously” and believes the state has a role to play in protecting children from inappropriate material in public spaces.
“While parents are the first line of defense in guiding their children, lawmakers have a role in setting clear standards that reflect our community values and shield minors from exposure to explicit content in places where families shop and gather,” Hickland said. “This is not about restricting personal freedoms but about maintaining a public environment that respects the innocence of childhood.”
According to Hickland, the Church also has a role to play when it comes to fighting what she called “a troubling trend of normalizing the sexualization of children in our society.”
“As Christians, we have a responsibility to elevate a standard of decency and protect the most vulnerable,” she said. “Exposing children to obscene material, whether in entertainment, advertising or public spaces, harms their development and desensitizes them to content that should be reserved for adults.”
