A WOMEN’S health company is campaigning to have a giant vagina-shaped inflatable admitted to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Elvie claims it was “banned” from taking part in the festival due to concerns about a pop-up stall on the Royal Mile that featured a representation of a vagina.
Fringe organisers deny a ban but say there were concerns about the stall’s closeness to St Giles Cathedral.
Elvie also said plans for a blimp to be tethered in Festival Square were also scuppered by the local council. The inflatable has spent several days in a field outside Edinburgh.
Elvie, which sells products including a pelvic floor strengthener, is encouraging people to help get the inflatable into the festival using the hashtag #LetFannyFly and by signing its online petition. It said the blimp was designed to raise awareness of pelvic floor weakness.
Founder and chief executive Tania Boler said: “The fact our campaign has been banned because it involves a part of a woman’s anatomy shows that taboos around women’s health still run deep in our society.
“Our mission is to help all women laugh freely and fully without the fear of embarrassment.”
A statement from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “The Fringe Society has been liaising with a third-party agency over the past few months regarding a space for Elvie on the High Street and at no point have we banned them from participating.
“The space in question is located right next to St Giles Cathedral and – alongside colleagues in City of Edinburgh Council – we have to consider the interests of multiple stakeholders when considering what activity can take place in that location. We have been supportive of Elvie’s initiative from the outset and have offered their agency multiple alternatives.”
A council spokeswoman said: “We have not received an application to fly a blimp over Edinburgh.”
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