Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, will put copies of Cosmopolitan magazine behind "blinders," following in the footsteps of two other retailers.
The news was announced by Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, during an interview with Larry Mantle on AirTalk. The organization is behind the campaign to shield minors from seeing the magazine in retail stores.
Walmart's participation comes days after Rite Aid and Delhaize America – which owns Hannaford stores and Food Lion – announced a similar move. About 4,600 Rite Aid stores and more than 1,000 Food Lion and Hannaford outlets would participate, according to Women’s Wear Daily.
Asked by the magazine why the National Center on Sexual Exploitation has singled out Cosmo as a target, the organization’s president said, “Many people think that it is just another magazine with beauty, fashion and health tips, but Cosmo is actually just another porn magazine glamorizing and legitimizing a dangerous lifestyle — pushing readers to try violent, group or anal sex.”
The news came amidst a period of soul searching for the popular women’s magazine. Veteran journalist Joanna Coles was named Cosmo’s new editor-in-chief in 2012, and she’s vowed to change the editorial direction of the rag to include more hard-hitting, investigative pieces.
Is Cosmopolitan too racy to be displayed at retail stores?
Guests:
Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, a national organization based in D.C. that opposes pornography. The organization is behind the campaign to obscure issues of Cosmo in retail stores
Shira Tarrant, Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Cal STate Long Beach. She is the author of numerous books, including “New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law ” (Praeger, 2015), and “The Pornography Industry: What Everyone Needs to Know,” forthcoming from Oxford University Press