Lads' mags have 6 weeks to "cover up": your reaction, please!

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello.

You may already have seen/heard the news today that the Co-op has given "lads' mags" six weeks to cover up their front page with sealed "modesty bags" or be taken off sale in its stores.

The Co-op says it's responding to concerns by its members, customers and colleagues about images of scantily-clad women on magazine covers.

We're being asked what Mumsnetters think of this move by the Co-op. So we'd love you to let us know: please do post up your views on this thread.

[swallowedAfly]

honestly it was as if in this guys world it didn't even register that women were consumers. any collective noun you gave him re: society, consumers etc just conjured images of men for him. women were a little sideline niche market that you sell lipstick to.

just - well - head wall moment really.

[swallowedAfly]

sorry more mad multiple posting but it certainly didn't occur to him that for the coop, or tescos, or waitrose or most blumming retailers out there women ARE the consumers. we do the fucking shopping 90% of the time and choose the products etc so the coop bloody well should listen to us over the views of some pervy men who want to see tits within a 1metre radius of them at all times.

[SolidGoldBrass]

this is quite good. (Article from the New Statesman, nothing gross, totally work-safe)

[queenofeverywhere]

By the same token perhaps they should also consider putting modesty covers on some of the women's magazines featuring celeb bikini bodies on the front cover. Fair's fair!

[swallowedAfly]

because it's so equivalent isn't it? a woman happening to be in a bikini and a pornified image of a woman posed to look like a sexually titillating object?

maybe people need to go and look at some of these covers.

[swallowedAfly]

look at this one for example. do you see the difference between this image (and all the text) and that of a woman in a bikini on a beach?

[GrimmaTheNome]

SGB - to be sure. Filters and bags don't tackle misogyny. What they do - the thing that I think most of the posters on this thread like - is simply that they limit the uncontrolled exposure of children to these things.

This is perhaps somewhat analogous to film ratings, which are widely accepted. All sorts of films are made and legally shown; but we control what we allow children to access.

[swallowedAfly]

i think it also changes the climate and changes how the consumer of these mags sees themselves and their consumption maybe. and if they have to buy it under a cover maybe they won't be waving it around in young girls faces on the tube.

[NicholasTeakozy]

Tesco join the bandwagon. Hopefully this will force those other magazines like Chat, Now! and the others to review their front covers. IMO they're as bad at skewing opinion.

[Hitchy83]

Totally agree with co-op, there is no comparison with women's magazines with women in bikinis or men's magazines with buff men on the cover. These magazines are purely for sexual gratification of men, the pictures are usually of topless models with massive bangers in some seductive pose! It's easier explaining to a child the pictures in women's magazines, yes son that is a woman in a bikini at the beach as opposed to that is a woman showing her assets so that men can titailate over them! They're as close to pornographic as you get and no this shouldn't be available or at least concealed from the vast majority of consumers who do not purchase nor want to see these on their grocery shop!

[Snog]

hurrah for the coop

[JayGatsby]

About time. Lads' mags are totally demeaning to women and having them visible - even at top-shelf level - must subliminally influence children to see women as commodities.

[MolehillAlchemy]

I feel the momentum building towards a new era of equality for women. The co-op are legends for this decision, and they've now confirmed they won't be stocking the magazines due the the publisher refusing to accommodate the Co-op's request for modesty bags.

Back into the cave for you Nuts and Zoo! In fact that's a good plan, only allowing the purveyors of this outdated media to sell them from caves and under rocks.

[swallowedAfly]

oh thanks for the update molehill.

so the coop stands alone as the publishers have refused and now we wait and see who has the guts/decency to stand with them and issue the same ultimatum.

it's a good opportunity for retailers to create loyal customers (given as said upthread women are the core customers of all these places) and show some ethics. wonder if any will?

fair play to coop. let's see if anyone else gives a damn?