Consent is Not a Milkshake: Feminist Author Clementine Ford Delivers a Very Important PSA

Australian independent agency The Royals has joined forces with feminist author Clementine Ford to end all the confusion surrounding consent and... milkshakes.

The social video, titled 'Consent is a conversation', is shot in a diner – a not-to-subtle nod to the Australian government's recent much-criticised Respect Matters campaign.

Today, the video launched via Clementine Ford's Instagram, Facebook and Twitter platforms, and aims to open up the conversation about consent in a way that is uncomplicated and free from milky metaphors.

Clementine Ford said: "We don't need metaphors or complicated analogies to explain consent. In fact, the easiest way to understand consent is to talk about it. It's a dialogue between sexual partners that prioritises respect and wellbeing, and this shouldn't be hard for people to understand. Consent is an ongoing conversation, and we hope that by doing this we encourage people to start having that conversation."

With a three-day turnaround from idea to going live, the project was a labour of love for all involved.

Mads Catanese, copywriter at The Royals, added: "Sexual consent is a conversation, and for too long, it's a conversation that we haven't been having. Now that the topic of consent has the microphone, we must create messages that are concise and clear."

Izzi McGrath, art director at The Royals, said: "We've previously worked with Clementine through our client Wild Secrets and know how passionately she feels about the topic. We loved working with her to create 'Consent is a Conversation' and hope Australians of all ages find it a valuable contribution to the national conversation."