Cover up or go home: Lads’ mags forced to adopt ‘modesty bags’
So-called lads' mags will be forced to cover themselves in a 'modesty bag' or be removed from sale in the Co-operative.
The decision by the retailer, which has over 4,000 outlets, is the most significant move against the controversial magazines since a coalition of women's groups started a campaign to have them banned.
"As a community-based retailer, we have listened to the concerns of our customers and members, many of whom say they object to their children being able to see overt sexual images in our stores," Steve Murrells, retail chief executive for the Co-operative Group, said.
"Whilst we have tried to mitigate the likelihood of young children seeing the images with a number of measures in store, the most effective way of doing this is for these magazines to be put in individual, sealed modesty bags."
The supermarket chain had already started putting the magazines behind a dark screen in many outlets, but it is now demanding that publishers cover up the front image themselves.
The Sport newspaper has already agreed to the demand.
Titles like Loaded, Nuts and Zoo typically feature a scantily-clad woman on the cover and an editorial agenda based predominantly on models, drinking jokes and sports.
They have long been a fixture of the British newsagent, but recent years have seen critics suggest that they should not be put on sale within sight of children.
"Many parents aren't comfortable with the way sexualised imagery has become like wallpaper – everywhere from the bus stop to the corner shop," women and equalities minister Jo Swinson said.
"Adults should be left to make their own decisions about what legal sexual images they look at, but the place for these is not next to the sweets at children's eye-level."
The Co-op decision comes two years after the government-commissioner Bailey review recommended the move and said lads' mags should only appear on the top shelf of newsagents.
But the move did little to placate the Lose the Lads' Mags campaign, which was set up by UK Feminista and Object.
The group claims sale of the magazine constitutes sexual harassment or discrimination and therefore breaches the Equality Act. It is working with 11 lawyers and is expected to start a legal action against retailers who continue to sell the magazines.
"The so-called 'modesty bags' they are demanding from publishers are designed to allow the Co-operative to continue profiting from sexist, harmful lads' mags – but just a bit more discreetly," spokeswoman Sophie Bennett said.
The Professional Publishers Association (PPA) said in a statement: "Men's lifestyle magazines are mainstream titles enjoyed by a readership of millions and feature content to reflect the diverse interests of the nation's young men.
"The average age of a reader of men's lifestyle magazines is 30, according to the National Readership Surveyand these titles are not created for, or marketed to, children."
