Miranda Kerr’s Nude ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ Cover Causes Stir At Coles

Miranda Kerr graces the January/February 2016 issue of Australia’s Harper’s Bazaar wearing a pair of champagne colored heels and nothing else. Only a raised thigh here and a perched forearm there conceals Kerr’s naughty bits, but the photo was still considered too risky for Coles.

Coles Takes Action, Harper’s Bazaar Gets Pulled

The magazine cover featuring Miranda along with the quote “Miranda Kerr, what lies beneath?” was deemed too risqué for Coles, following complaints from customers. An unnamed spokesperson for the Coles chain issued a statement, regarding the decision to pull that issue of Harper’s from their shelves. The statement said the company deemed the cover inappropriate for their customers, particularly those who often shop with their children.

“I was really disappointed to hear Coles made the decision to pull the Miranda Kerr issue off shelves,” Kellie Hush, Harper Bazaar‘s editor-in-chief, said in a statement. “The cover is a beautiful artistic image taken by one of Australia’s best photographer’s Steven Chee and I stand by that.”

Hush added that she’s received far more positive feedback from customers around the world than the limited complaints reported by Coles. She added that it saddened her to learn that Coles’ management weren’t able to appreciate the artistic beauty in the Miranda Kerr photograph.

Earlier in the week, Hush commented on the Kerr shoot, proving that some negative feedback wasn’t completely unexpected. Kellie defended the image, pointing out that Miranda is one of Australia’s most celebrated women. She also said that, for the three and a half years that she has been editor-in-chief, Ms. Kerr had done three covers, averaging one a year.

“I’ve always had a good relationship with her,” Kellie said of Miranda.

Miranda Kerr Fires Back At Coles

Meanwhile, representatives for Miranda Kerr have questioned the motives behind Coles censorship of the Harper’s Bazaar cover.

“There have been numerous examples of similar covers sold without restriction that celebrate and support women and this is no different,” said Annie Kelly, manager for Ms. Kerr. “They seem to have used it to get publicity during the busiest trading time of the year.”

Ms. Kelly may have a valid point. Miranda Kerr is only the latest in a long line of Australian women to appear on covers in similarly revealing images, yet instances of this type of censorship are rare. Instances of women appearing nude on the covers of women’s magazines go as far back as 2010, when the former Miss Universe, Jennifer Hawkins, bared it all for the cover of Marie Claire. Just last year, Megan Gale posed pregnant and nude for the same magazine.

Later, Ms. Gale would report feeling “very exposed.”

In light of the timing, it does seem that Coles is using the Miranda Kerr cover photo as a publicity ploy. What better way to draw in customers during the Christmas season than by making headlines for pulling magazines based on content?

For whatever reason, it seems Coles has chosen to make an example out of Harper’s Bazaar with Miranda getting caught in the crossfire. Will Coles keep pulling magazines with such revealing covers, or will Miranda Kerr once again be seen on Coles’ shelves, after the holiday season has concluded?

In their statement, Coles said that the cover was deemed inappropriate and the decision was made to pull the magazine from their shelves. It was only later that Coles representatives said the decision was based on customer feedback.

It seems as though Coles took the most drastic measure first by pulling Harper’s Bazaar from their shelves. The supermarket chain could have just as easily hidden the image behind a plain brown cover, as is sometimes done with men’s magazines.

[Featured image by Rob Kim/Getty Images]