I was browsing your website when my eyes drifted to the ad at the top of the screen. Instead of the usual salamanders and vitamin water, something else caught my eye:

“Warning: This game is too hot to handle. Male gamers only.”

This lovely piece of literature was accompanied by a barely dressed blonde woman (complete, of course, with an impossibly shaped chest).

As a leader in teen literature, Teen Ink plays a part in shaping the writers of the future. This makes you responsible, in part, for the future of our society. Writers are important. We communicate ideas across the boundaries of cities, countries, and continents. No one writer holds the future of the world in their hands, but as a group, we play a major role in that future. In a sense, you do too.

But what kind of part do you want to play? This online ad not only alienates female gamers – a major problem in the male-dominated gaming world – but objectifies them and propagates impossible standards of beauty. It is also inappropriate to find images of practically topless women on a website for teens, including middle schoolers.

I understand that Teen Ink is a large organization that requires funding to continue creating a space for young people to explore their creativity, but I believe some of your ads cross a line, and to be frank, I find it disappointing. I hold Teen Ink to higher standards than that. I miss the salamanders and vitamin water.

Editor’s response: Some of the ads on our site are auto-filled by an outside firm, and we don’t always get to see them before users do. We appreciate you alerting us to this particular one. If you are ever offended by anything on our site, send us an
e-mail.