Cosmopolitan Blinders: Cosmo Magazine Hidden Like Racy Playboy After Hearst Granddaughter’s Anti-Porn Campaign [Video]

Cosmopolitan will be hidden by blinders at many stores. The decision to censor the racy Cosmopolitan covers with blinders, putting the popular magazine on a par with Playboy and Hustler, stems from the National Center for Sexual Exploitation’s (NCSE) campaign, reported the Daily Mail.

The organization says that by hiding Cosmopolitan with blinders, children will be protected. Also urging the use of blinders is Victoria Hearst. The 58-year-old’s grandfather was the Hearst founder, which is Cosmopolitan‘s publisher.

What’s next? Prohibiting Cosmopolitan from being sold to minors (those under age 18), according to born-again Christian Victoria’s Cosmo Harms Minors campaign.

Stores owned by Rite Aid and Delhaize America are complying with the request for Cosmopolitan blinders, which means that Food Lion and Hannaford Stores will be hiding the magazines at their stores, reported Refinery 29.

NCSE’s ultimate goals are to treat Cosmopolitan magazines as more than something to be hidden behind blinders. They want merchants to treat the publication like a cigarette purchase, which would require identification to prove that you’re at least 18-years-old. They also hope that some stores will no longer offer the publication.

However, when Victoria Hearst started her Cosmo Harms Minors campaign, she denied claims that it was censorship.

“We’re not trying to censor Cosmo. We’re not trying to put it out of business. All we’re saying is: You want to print pornography, I can’t stop you. If I was queen of the Hearst Corporation, this magazine would no longer exist.…”

In addition to the campaign, Hearst founded and directs Praise Him Ministries. She traces her focus on her faith to the mid 1990s.

As for the Hearst Corporation, the company provided an official comment about the concept of requiring Cosmopolitan blinders.

“Cosmopolitan is the most successful global media brand for young women, publishing 60 editions in 79 countries and 32 languages. Its award-winning content is produced for adults by leading female journalists. We are proud of all that the brand has achieved for women around the world in the areas of health, relationships, career, politics, equality, and social issues.”

As the Inquisitr reported, Playboy king Hugh Hefner recently came under fire as well, not for his magazines but for claims made against him by Holly Madison following her years at the Playboy Mansion.

However, both former Playmate Kendra Wilkinson and Hefner denied Madison’s claims, which she detailed in her bestselling memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole.

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