WUNRN
UK - SEXIST "LADS
MAGS" PROTEST BY WOMEN ACTIVISTS TARGETS RETAILER
24 Aug 2013
Protesters
at the Tesco store in
In an effort to force
The campaign, spearheaded by women’s rights groups Object and UK Feminista,
is against the sexualisation and objectification of women, as well as the
exposure of such images to children.
The group says that lads’ mags ‘fuel sexist behaviours and attitudes
underpinning violence against women’, adding: ‘Tesco would never allow “girlie
calendars” on their office walls. Why are they choosing to stock degrading,
pornographic lads’ mags on their shelves?’
Activists said it would talk to consumers outside Tesco stores and collect
signatures in a ‘family-friendly protest’.
The latest wave of action comes
weeks after the Co-operative issued an ultimatum to numerous lads’ mags such as
Zoo and Front, which gave them the option of concealing sexy images in modesty
bags before September 9 – or expect to be thrown out of stores.
Nuts rejected the idea, resulting in the Co-op confirming that
it will no longer be stocking the magazine it will
no longer be stocking the magazine, while Tesco issued a statement at the time
saying it will only sell the magazines to over-18s.
Kat Banyard, the founder of UK Feminista, said: ‘As long as Tesco sells
lads’ mags like Nuts and Zoo its claims of being a responsible corporate
citizen are a farce.
‘Tesco needs to put women’s safety before profit and lose the lads’ mags.’
The row over the depiction of women and sexualisation of young girls has
intensified over the last few weeks, with David Cameron promising a wave of
reforms that would restrict the exposure of pornographic material to children,
particularly on the internet.
He did, however, stop short of condemning The Sun’s infamous Page 3, saying
in July: ‘This is an area where we should leave it to consumers to decide,
rather than to regulators.’
‘Protests are a great way of engaging with the public about the issue,’
said founder Lucy Holmes.
‘We support the Lads Mags campaign because since we started the No More
Page 3 petition last year, we’ve lost count of the amount of parents who have
written to us saying “can you do something about lads’ mags and the cover of
The Sport and Star as well.”‘