BRW Magazine has faced a mini-backlash over its cover featuring muesli queen Carolyn Creswell. The complaints prompted an interesting discussion by reporter Georgie Dent about the representation of women in business.
“Oddly enough our cover is something we take seriously. The subjects who grace it are invariably proven operators in business who don’t need to be wearing a suit to show that they want to be taken seriously.
Carolyn runs an impressive business manufacturing breakfast cereals and the cover image depicted that in a way we thought was fresh and interesting. We’re a business magazine and where it is possible to depart from an image of a person wearing a suit, we leap at it. The early signs from newsagents suggest customers welcomed the cover.
In recent weeks, we have heard from readers who believe we don’t feature enough women in our magazine. When planning features, covers, interviews and focus points for the magazine, the only agenda we pursue is great content. We are a meritocracy. Our content is derived and created from a variety of sources. We have stories pitched to us, we pitch stories ourselves, we read widely, we brainstorm, we regularly meet with people on the coalface of business, we have flagship issues on particular topics – and from there our content falls. We don’t set out to exclude men any more than we set out to include women because to follow either of those paths would be disingenuous.”
Here’s what else is on our radar today:
1. Mining billionaire Clive Palmer is refusing to pay a $333 speeding fine. He was booked doing 27km/h over the speed limit on the Gold Coast.
2. Queen Elizabeth has someone break in her shoes so she can be sure they will be comfortable during her many engagements. Her team also catalogue her dresses. By name. One is called Buttercup.
3. The ‘Tooth Fairy’ is now paying, on average, $5 a pop for children’s teeth. What’s the going rate in your house?
4. Australia is the happiest developed nation in the world, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Their annual Better Life Index saw Oz beat traditional winners Norway on measures such as jobs, incomes and health.
Comments
88 Comments so far
A gold coin per tooth
Except the time the “tooth fairy” didnt have any gold coins so “she” spelt my out my sons first initial in 20c pieces which he thought was awesome.
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I’m trying really hard to see how that cover could possibly be sexist and I can’t. No low cut top, no sexy pose – you could easily replace her image with that of a man and it would still have the exact some message. Confused????
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Welcome to the world of some women making themselves out to be victims in everything.
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Pah! That isnt sexist! Now if she was wearing a french maid’s costume, or deliberately decked out a la Stepford wife, then yes!
Clive Palmer – you have ‘high entitlement issues’
Her Maj has someone to break in her shoes??! What?! And destroy all that lovely ‘new’??
Maaaate – our tooth fairy is cheap. $1 a normal tooth, $2 a molar, and never the twain shall meet. A fiver?? I’d need a mortgage for my kids gobs.
Happiest developed nation – thankyou Lexapro
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It’s that horrible red ‘girlie’ font that bothers me.
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If you are an art director, you would instantly recognise this as a cheeky take on the kelloggs font. It is identicle. See, no sexist ‘girlie’ intent at all.
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I think the calls that this is sexist are a bit over the top.
It’s a joke, it’s tongue in cheek and given the context it is not taken too far. She is not wearing a bikini, lip gloss and porn star high heels, which to me would make it far more offensive than the funny comment.
It’s an appropriate joke, given she sells cereal- pushed just far enough to be funny but not too far to be offensive.
I think people need to lighten up a little bit.
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This is only sexist if you are looking REALLY REALLY REALLY hard. Why don’t we women take it on the chin like, say, a man would.
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The mag cover is just annoying because they’ve finally put a woman on the cover…but then made it all safe and dumbed down with cutesy writing and a sexual entendre. Like “yes, she’s successful in big business, but she’s really just a woman who wants to have sex with you and serve you food”. If you didn’t know what the mag was you’d think it was a trashy woman’s mag, not a business mag.
How often have male heads of food companies been pictured like that on the cover? The men are usually made to look powerful and impressive, whereas Carolyn’s been made to look as unthreatening and wifely as possible. That’s why I personally think it’s sexist.
I’m not flipping out with fury or anything, I more just think it’s annoying that rather than taking the opportunity to treat the genders equally (because it’s about her business sucess, so who cares), they’ve focused on her gender and played to the stereotype. It’s more than unnecessary, it’s regressive.
P.S congrats on the cover Carolyn – fanbloodytastic!
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What tripe. The photo shows Carolyn with her product. The font used over the cover is clearly a cheeky play on the Kelloggs font, not trying to mimic a womens mag. I swear you must be looking for something to call out as sexist around every corner if you find a problem with this.
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Bingo. Totally agree. And kudos for the use of the word ‘tripe’.
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To be honest, I didn’t look at the cover and scream “SEXIST” with steam coming out my ears. The title of the post was “how can this mag cover be sexist” – and I answered the question. There are certain ads/media coverage etc that really p*** me off for being sexist – and this wasn’t one of them. However, I do think that they’ve made a choice based on her gender, and I think that’s lame and disappointing.
Re your post below though (a) they would have had a final say in what she was wearing even if she brought in her own clothes and (b) the editor may well be a woman and (c) said genderless editor isn’t evil, just disappointing (to me).
That’s all! I wasn’t having an angry rant – I was just answering the posed question
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I like that they havent stereotyped her cover in the same way they would a blokes – looking serious and threatening in a suit to be ‘equal’. I think she looks stylish, and the text jumps out. It may make people who normally do not buy business mags pick it up.
I respect your opinion though, i can see why you think that. Seems as if damned if you do, damned if you dont with the representation of women sometimes….
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I completely agree. They will place a woman on the cover, but of course she has to be wearing peach and “wants you for breakfast”… Just disappointing really.
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So, let me get this straight, the evil misogynist editor schemed up a plan to MAKE HER wear peach in order to demean her. Well, that is a much more logical synario than that she woke up in the morning and decided to wear peach.
If anything, the most sexist thing here is you all saying that Carolyn is a just puppet than can be used by evil men this way. What a joke.
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Clive….pay the bloody fine !
End of story, morning glory.
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Is the mag cover sexist ?
No. It’s a play on words inviting the reader to eat Carman’s products for breakfast. But if you deliberately go looking for something sinister in this play on words…you will certainly find it.
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I don’t get it either… I think the cover is completley fine. Sexist?… not so much.
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$5 a tooth!! I got 50c! (this was in the early nineties)
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I was lucky, we got $2 a tooth. Then again, the tooth fairy only remembered to come twice , so I guess it all evened out in the end ha!
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My son was so late losing his first tooth that he was already old enough to not believe! (nearly 7yo).
Technically he has never had a visit from the tooth fairy, but he certainly put in his request for the 2 he has lost – “please can I have $5 mum?”
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Love the cover, love the typeface, love the Honey Roasted Nut Porridge Sachets.
And it’s the first time this year I’ve actually bought BRW rather than dragged through a work copy.
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Sexist? Wow. We are getting touchy, aren’t we?
I thought we would be celebrating the fact that a woman business owner was on the cover of a business magazine. Or the fact that she hasn’t been airbrushed from a size (insert size here) to a size zero and is posing half naked with the cereal. Guess not.
And the Tooth Fairy…if the average is $5, and a lot of readers on here say they pay gold coins, then there’s a hell of a lot of kids getting well ABOVE $5 a tooth. I know there’s inflation, but…wow.
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$10 for the first tooth, $5 for the rest. I f the tooth fairy is really busy and cant do a pick up on the night she usually leaves an extra $2.
On one occasion the tooth fairy was a little smozzled after a wedding and left $20, it has never been forgotten by either miss 11 or my husband.
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$5 for teeth!!! wow! I once got $5 each for four of mine- but they were surgically removed under general. All other teeth warranted $1 each if there was a cavity or filling and $2 for a perfect tooth.
My kids aren’t at tooth losing stage yet (we’re still in the throes of getting teeth) but the tooth fairy sure as goodness won’t be shelling out $5 a pearly white!
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I think the cover is sensational – highlighting the success & smarts of an individual that yes, manufactures muesli etc…. Would we be having this conversation if it was a guy on the cover????
I took a second look in newsagent as I thought the fresh approach was welcoming and bright.. so much better than the standard gloom…
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Sexist? Oh for god’s sake. Is there nothing that is not interpreted at an attack on the great untouchables (aka women) these days. Lighten up for gods sake everyone.
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This cover is of me! The funniest bit of this controversy is all I want for breakfast is to get my four kids dressed and out the door for school! My husband secretly arrange a pile of the poster from our lovely newsagent and the kids covered my bed with it when I got home. I love that they were so super proud of their mum being on the front cover so controversy aside, its all good by me.
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Congratulations Carolyn, the cover is fab. Ive been eating your gluten free muesli for a few years now and I love it! I also love the little blurb on your cereal boxes about how youve built the company up from such humble beginnings. You’re an inspiration
Ill actually go an buy BRW for the first time ever now so I can read your story!
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Hi -Thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated after a long day.
It was last weeks edition so here is the link.
http://www.brw.com.au/p/sections/features/cereal_success_WUZDac8SrATmbNxam2GJZP
Cheers Carolyn
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It *was* a great cover! Well done!
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Beautiful cover Carolyn – congrats! Can’t wait to read the story about you.
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Good on you. It a lovely photo & a great way to show you & your business. Sexism is the way the female contestants are portrayed on the tv show The Block.
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Yum I love your museli and eat it every morning! Congrats on all your success! At the risk of sounding like a bimbo, what is the argument for the cover being sexist? I thought it was a great picture that was bright and cheerful, but hey, what do I know??
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That’s so cute!
Congratulations on the cover Carolyn
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Congrats Carolyn! Dad and I have been eating your muesli, oats, and assorted bars for years now. I could never go back to Uncle Toby’s now
This is a testament to how far you’ve come with what was once your little business. Enjoy the success!
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I absolutely love this picture Carolyn. What a stellar family you have! I’ve also been thrilled to read the comments that a few non-BRW readers picked up this issue of the magazine. I have said my bit on the blog but at the end of the day, like any magazine, we want our cover to attract readers online and in print. We respect the cover and our cover subjects far too much to depict them in a derogatory way.
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Good to see the tooth fairy is responding to inflation.
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Sexist ? I don’t see it ….Weirdly cannibalistic ? definitely .
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I’ve only just accepted the fact that my boy starts kindy next year-we had a school interview today- now I have to think tooth fairy rates???_ gosh time is just flying…..’whats that now son??you’re getting married and moving out???!!!!
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Phwoar $5 – that tooth fairy is one generous lass
good for her!
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What guest said. The news summary on this website used to give me the main gist of news stories without having to trawl other sites on my limited morning cup of coffee time… now I may aswell not bother. I’m not a fan of the new structure of Daily Buzz – it was better before when there was a little bit of depth on each featured story.
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I agree – I preferred the news section that provided summaries of serious news stories with some depth and thoughtfulness. Actually, I really valued it and read it everyday to stay informed. It was my first port of call each morning.
I find the “daily buzz” a little… dumbed down. It’s no longer a vital way to start my day and definitely not as engaging as the news tidbits were.
Just as some friendly feedback from a loyal reader!
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Thanks one and all! We ARE listening to all this feedback as we try a few things. I’ll make a mention of your thoughts
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I miss the news Rick! It was a great way to start my day!
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PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BRING IT BACK TO MORNINGS!
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Another that misses the morning news.
THough I am happy to let you sleep in a little and put it up a little later…if you must
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I much prefer this version. I have to admit I always cringed when the headline for the ‘news’ was some bit of celebrity gossip from the Daily Mail or something similar. I think Daily Buzz is a much more accurate term for what this is. A bit of news, a bit of celebrity gossip, a few random bits and pieces…
I also prefer the focus on links, rather than a paragraph or two summarising. That’s fine for less substantial tidbits, but it was always a bit frustrating when I’d read the comments section and see people talking about some news story and getting it all wrong because they hadn’t clicked on the link and read the whole story, they’d just skimmed the summary (the summaries were good, don’t get me wrong, but for bigger news stories they weren’t nearly informative enough for someone to base a strident opinion on, though that’s what many people seemed to do).
It’s not hard to get a quick update on the news. There are literally thousands of websites that do awesome news roundups. Hell, just follow a handful of the right people on twitter and you’ll never miss a news story.
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if i was the queen i would totally have someone to break in my shoes… blisters and sore feet could be eliminated. Nothing worse than breaking in stiff new shoes.
it is also really cute to name your clothes. strange, but cute.
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Break in my shoes … and re-sew the buttons on every new piece of clothing … and have fresh, clean sheets every day … and lint roll the entire palace to get rid of the corgi hair (I’m imagining it like repainting the Harbour Bridge, work crews forming a never-ending shuttle) … and wash my hairbrushes every day … and turn every piece of gravel in the driveway smooth face up, so I could still wear high heels without killing myself …
Or have I just gone past ‘royalty’ and entered ‘despot’ territory?
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I think it is just sensible. She has to be on her feet for hours, if she had blisters it would be unbearable.
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Why is the daily buzz so short?
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Why is it so lacking in news?
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Dont think the magazine is sexist. The woman got rich off breakfast cereal for the love of God!
What’s with Clive Palmer refusing to pay a speeding fine? Either he’s actually broke, or he’s an extraordinarily tight man.
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Gold coin (usually $2) in our house. When I was growing up the tooth fairy frequently forgot to turn up so we were pretty grateful for whatever we eventually got
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My husband is starting a new job and would be traveling with his new boss day one. He walked out of the newsagency with this magazine and I had to look twice. On first glimpse I thought it was a women’s mag, not ideal on the plane next to your boss. Not sure what exactly about it but definitely doesn’t have the usual BRW look about it.
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Yes that’s exactly it. I thought the same when I opened my mailed out copy, that the wrong mag had been sent. The design and layout of that cover is apalling.
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Your comment made me laugh so much! The idea of a wife on her husbands first day checking every detail – I love it! Thanks for sharing.
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Our kids get $2 that’s more than enough!
The Queen is a switched on lady! I wish I ha someone to break in my shoes for me. I also wish I had a dress called Buttercup. Imagine the theme song possibilities….
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Just FYI, we created a new post for the Schapelle Corby news: http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/schapelle-corby-could-be-free-by-august/
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I’m considering introducing the Truth Fairy. S/he will pay a gold coin for a week without lies. I expect not to pay up…
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We got a dollar per tooth and only if it was without holes/fillings. Mine all were, my brothers often had holes. My 5yo is yet to lose a tooth, not sure if we’ll do tooth fairy yet, she’s already past the Santa claus, Easter bunny stage. May still give her a dollar per tooth anyway.
I like the magazine cover, I’ve heard the saying ‘eat you for breakfast’ about male bosses too.
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“We got a dollar per tooth and only if it was without holes/fillings.”
That seems a bit unfair. Surely the majority of kids that age aren’t buying their own sweet treats, so any cavities are their parents fault, not theirs.
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I’d just like to defend the cavity bearing children- I didn’t eat many sweets but my teeth were AWFULLY weak, I was always suffering through fillings, I’m glad the tooth fairy didn’t punish me for it!
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We thought it was quite fair and i understand why my parents did it. It was an encouragement to brush our teeth, and it worked.
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Are you saying she already knows the truth about Santa & Easter Bunny at only 5 years old?
If that’s right, please help her to be considerate of her friends – many kids believe in Santa for years and years. My sons were 10 before they figured it out. She is only 5 and may accidentally blurt out the real story which could be really upsetting for other little kids.
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Is that really so young? I knew as soon as was old enough to actually understand and think about the stories, so around 4yrs old. Most of my friends knew by the time they were 5-6. By Year 5-6 of primary school even the teachers knew they were safe to stop pretending.
I think it would get a bit awkward to not tell your friends at a certain age. Especially when it comes to Christmas. Personally at 9-10 years old, I wasn’t going to lie about beleiving in Santa just because a kid my age who still beleived was in earshot. If they hadn’t figured it out for themselves at that point, they surely needed a bit of prodding in that direction anyway.
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I wasn’t talking about keeping it quiet for 10 year olds – but five year olds – definitely yes. Sad that for some kids the magic of Santa is over by the age of five.
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I say let Schapelle out!
she’s done enough!
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…and I’m hoping she brings my boogie board back…
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The Queen has her dresses catalogued by name that is the coolest ever! haha
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I don’t get the issue with the cover. She makes breakfast products, so she is pictured with breakfast products…
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As a dental nurse I often ask kids that come in with a wobbly tooth or a recent loss of one if the tooth fairy comes and what do they get as not all children get money. I’m shocked by some of the amounts these kids get. One even said that she got $20! For one tooth! I used to get 50c lol then the dentist said maybe it’s the cost of living and petrol prices that has driven up the cost. These things would affect the tooth fairy too haha!
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The girl I babysit for gets $2 for a tooth. But theres a girl at her school who got $20 for one!!
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$5 for teeth?!
Kids these days are so freaking spoiled!!!
Losing teeth are part of growing up! I bet these ‘$5 or more a tooth’ children won’t learn the value of money by getting a job at a local store. I think teens are still getting $8 an hour at McDonald’s – and that’s not minimum wage!
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My cousin is under 18 and gets $14 per hour at Maccas and has been working there for around 6 months. FYI.
We always got $2 when I was young and that was 22ish years ago.
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It’s not spoiled, it’s adjusted for inflation.
When I was a kid I got 50 cents a tooth, which bought me a big bag of lollies (big as in I’d generally feel like I was going to be sick before I even finished it). Today that would get you what, one Chupa Chup maybe? The point of the tooth fairy is that it’s exciting. Even a little kid know’s 50 cents or a dollar isn’t very exciting. If you’re not going to give them enough money for it to be a big fun event, might as well not bother with the whole tooth fairy thing.
I got almost 8 dollars as a 15yr old. If it hasn’t gone up by now that’s just criminal.
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When I was fifteen (three years ago) I got 7.95 an hour.
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No, they’re not getting $8 an hour at McDonald’s. Rates vary state to state, but in Victoria, the minimum minimum rate for a junior (17 or under) casual at McDonald’s is $9.56, and as soon as they’ve been there more than three months that goes up to at least $9.89 (and that’s if they’re just picking up rubbish and wiping tables – as soon as they’re serving or cooking those rates are higher, working behind the counter minimum wage would be $10.38.
Juniors over 18 are on higher rates, adult wage rates are higher again.
The national minimum wage is less for juniors (starting at $5.71 for under 16s), but only applies to people who are not covered by an award (which McDonald’s workers are).
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I got $5 a tooth, we weren’t well off but that’s what we all got for each tooth. I assure you, I grew up to understand the value of money. It’s $5, not $50!
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When I was 14 I worked at Maccas (7 years ago) and I remember clearly getting 6.52 an hour.
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Yep when I was working back at KFC at 15 years old in 2006-2007 I got about $6 bucks an hour – it still seemed a lot to me back then! Fast forward a few years and my sister gets close to $9 an hour for a casual starting wage…. times change!
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Standard tooth fairy rate is a gold coin in these parts.
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We got gold coins for molars and 50c for the other teeth back in the 90s
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Same here. But then my five-year-old came home and told me that “the tooth fairy gave Aiden $10 for his tooth, why did she give me $2?” Ouch! Rates won’t be going up, though!
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Tell her the toothfairy sometimes gives more to kids if they have whiter teeth. My son brushed for ages after that and still got $2. Not clean enough for a raise from his stingy toothfairy.
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You don’t live in Brisbane do you? My brother has an Aidan and gave him $10 for his first tooth. That wasn’t the plan but he forgot to put a gold coin out before he went to bed. My nephew woke up in tears the next morning because the tooth fairy hadn’t come. In his rush to fix it, he could only find a $10 note and quickly threw it behind the bed.
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Haha, no, I’m in Perth. But that’s a funny story! I suppose the tooth fairy has a new level to live up to in his house now!
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