Media watcher Keith Kelly of the New York Post reports that Walmart, the premier generator of newsstand sales for magazines, has banned Cosmopolitan at the checkout stands and is moving the racy magazine to a less prominent spot in Walmart stores.
Cosmo remains profitable but its sales have fallen off. But the main factor in Walmart's decision seems to have been pressure on retailers from people who are appalled at the magazine's increasingly explicit sexual content.
And who is one of the leaders of the ban Cosmo movement? Kelly enlightens us:
And surprisingly, one of the people leading the charge in getting Cosmo booted is Victoria Hearst, a scion of the Hearst Media empire. Years ago, she actually drew a paycheck from the magazine division’s Town & Country, but in recent decades, critics say she is taking dividend money from the Hearst empire and turning it against one of its crown jewels.
Lately, she has become a born-again Christian, and in 2002, founded the Praise Him Ministries.
This fall, perhaps inspired by the movie “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” the controversial Hearst also erected three billboards, in Memphis, Nashville and Salt Lake City, proclaiming “Cosmopolitan Magazine Contains Porn Harmful to Kids” and launched Cosmohurtskids.com.
Interviewed by The Post in 2015 about her efforts to get the magazine that specializes in sexy covers booted from Walmart, she was quoted as saying, “I’m doing the ‘Cosmo Harms Minors’ campaign because Jesus Christ told me to get Cosmo out of the hands of minors. I love Him, and I’m being obedient to His will.”
I don't think you have to be a churchgoer to believe that kids don't need to see prominently displayed a magazine that puts these stories on the cover: "Have Sexier Sex!! Naughty Tips to Get You THERE . . . Whether You Just Met or Have Been Together Forever" "Hotter Sex for You! Turn-on Tricks, OMG Foreplay, Big-O Shortcuts." "Super Hot Sex Games. All You Need Is Dice, a Timer and a Darling Playmate (Because You'll Both Score." Well, you get the idea.
Remember that Walmart is not refusing to sell the magazine. It is simply putting it in a place where, if kiddies see it, it won't send the message that OMG Foreplay (!) is something we routinely talk about in polite society.
So many of those who are involved with the MeToo movement are willing to overlook the vulgarity of rappers and Hollywood that contributes to the disrespecting of women.
So it's good to see Walmart and Mrs. Hearst taking a coherent stand against the kind of dreck that gives young people all the wrong ideas about sex and commitment.
I hate to be a prude, but I think this just might be one small step in bringing back respect for women and reducing vulgarity.