‘Cosmopolitan’ Blinders Campaign From Hearst Founder’s Granddaughter Compares ‘Cosmo’ Magazine To ‘Playboy’ Porn [Video]


Cosmopolitan magazine needs blinders to cover up its racy content. That’s the idea behind a campaign that wants blinders because it considers Cosmopolitan to constitute pornography, reported the New York Times.

Blinders will be used by both Food Lion and Rite Aid in an attempt to shield minors’ innocent eyes from the sexually suggestive covers. Owner of 4,600 U.S. drugstores, Rite Aid is planning on instigating the shields itself.

In contrast, grocery store giant Food Lion is demanding that Cosmopolitan magazine publisher Hearst give them special blinders that display cover models and Cosmo’s logo while hiding headlines such as “Oh My Goddess! The Sex Move He Will Worship You For.”

Cosmopolitan magazine denies it needs blinders.

“[Cosmo is] proud of all that the brand has achieved for women around the world,” said the publisher, the Hearst Group.

The request for Cosmopolitan’s blinders comes from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, and the specific “Cosmo Harms Minors” was helmed by William Ralph Hearst’s granddaughter. He’s known for founding the Hearst Group.

Victoria Hearst tracked her distaste for Cosmopolitan magazine back more than a decade, although she only now is heading up the blinders campaign.

“On the cover was this beautiful brunette model, and she was completely naked, but for a strategically placed boa constrictor,” recalled Victoria. “My stomach turned, and I just said: ‘Wait a minute, what is my family doing?’ This is pornography.”

No other retailers have yet responded to the campaign.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCSE) used to be called Morality in Media, and the group contends that Cosmopolitan’s blinders are needed because it’s just as racy as Playboy, reported the Huffington Post.

“Cosmo is actually just another porn magazine glamorizing and legitimizing a dangerous lifestyle — pushing readers to try violent, group or anal sex,” said the anti-porn organization’s executive director Dawn Hawkins.

Therefore, based on NCSE’s guidelines for what constitutes pornography, Cosmopolitan magazine cover models are being exploited.

“Rarely do those being exploited truly give informed consent. This is where the person consenting has a full understanding of what they are agreeing to, the consequences, and the potential risks. Abuse of power or taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability, whether or not they said “yes,” is exploitation. One may consent and still be sexually exploited, as in the case of a porn model,” states the NCSE.

As the Inquisitr reported, several former Playmates of Hugh Hefner are currently battling over whether the Playboy king exploited his Bunnies.

Kendra Wilkinson and Hefner, along with ex-Playmate Izabella St. James, have denied the claims of exploitation described by Holly Madison in her bestselling memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole.

[Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Cosmopolitan Magazine and WME Live]

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