Madeline Anello-Kitzmiller was shocked at the negative reaction after getting glitter art painted on her chest at Rhythm & Vines. Credit: Brett Phibbs
The "glitter boobs" groped at Rhythm & Vines were painted by former Rotorua woman Nicole Harvey, who is astounded work from her fledgling business has made headlines around the world.
Harvey and business partner Jolene Guillum-Scott created gypsyfest nz late last year after seeing the glitter boob trend take off at overseas music festivals.
Glitter boobs are created when a woman covers her breasts in sparkly paint, glitter, multi-coloured gems and sometimes, nipple tassels.
"We envisaged an online store selling glitter and gems and also had proposed to attend as many New Zealand festivals as we could," Harvey told the Rotorua Daily Post. "Rhythm and Vines was our first one."
The former Rotorua Girls' High School student, who was born and raised in Rotorua but left for Auckland three years ago, said she was reeling from what had followed as a result of one of her glitter boob jobs.
"We offered glitter boobs alongside glitter chests, glitter faces and glitter limbs at Rhythm and, to be honest, I wasn't sure if any girls would be brave enough. But we ended up finishing maybe 50 glitter boob jobs over the three days of the festival."
She said it was close to a split 50/50 ratio of men and women who lined up to be painted.
One of those jobs, completed by Harvey, was on Madeline Anello-Kitzmiller who was later filmed being groped by a man. The video shows Anello-Kitzmiller responding to her breast being grabbed by hitting the man about the head.
"I think I saw the video for the first time on January 1 when it was posted on the page of a Facebook group I am part of," Harvey said. "The comments were very much along the lines of good on you to the girl who had hit the guy and I didn't think much of it.
"It wasn't until the next day when it showed up on the Herald news site, then went absolutely viral, that I started thinking 'wow'."
Harvey said she was disappointed in many of the victim-blaming comments made and believed Kiwis needed to get over an apparent breast taboo.
"The victim-blaming, saying she asked for it because of what she was wearing, is just wrong. In my experience in New Zealand, it doesn't matter if you're fully clothed or wearing a bikini, some men still think they have a right to grab you.
"They don't."
She said even her father had been left wondering what the big deal was.
"He said boobs have been around for ever and people who a problem with them had to get over themselves.
"Glitter boobs have become really popular overseas, they were everywhere at Glastonbury and Coachella, and in Australia. Why does this country have an issue?"
Anello-Kitzmiller and a friend are planning a "march for consent" in Auckland on January 28.
