Indecency at the checkout counter: Cosmo March 2011

By: American Decency Staff

Opposing sexualized magazines at the checkout counter is one of the battles this ministry has taken on over the years.  As we’ve often said, we and our families should be able to wait in a checkout lane at a family supermarket without being assaulted with erotic images and verbiage on magazine covers. Of course the worst offender is Cosmopolitan magazine.  Cosmo is notorious for splashing lewd headlines and photos on their magazine covers.  The current magazine has titles such as: “Get Naked!  25 Fun Ways to Go Nudeâ€Â “The Sex Quiz You Must Take – Find Out What Really Turns You On and Feel Lustier Than Ever Beforeâ€Â “For His Thighs Only – This Erotic Touch will Practically Melt His Boxer Briefsâ€Â Each month, along with such sleazy headlines is the obligatory Cosmo cover photo of a woman posed provocatively and bearing half her breasts.  However, the new March issue features actress Lea Michele showing even more skin than is typical of Cosmo.  With a wide open V-cut top, very little of the young woman’s torso is covered – showing more skin than shirt. This recently released cover has especially drawn the ire of many not only for the photo, but also because of the actress who is posing. As one report states: ********** “ 'Glee' star Lea Michele has followed up last year’s widely maligned, racy spread in GQ magazine with a daring cover on Cosmopolitan magazine in a dress that plunges nearly to her belly button, much to many ‘Glee’ fans’ moms' chagrin. These peeved parents say Michele, as an actress who plays a high school student on a TV show watched largely by teen and pre-teen viewers, has a responsibility to their kids to keep things a little more buttoned up. “I think Lea Michele is sending the wrong message.  She plays such a ‘good girl’ on ‘Glee’ and a lot of kids look up to her persona.  Then she poses very provocatively on two magazine covers which makes my almost-13-year-old son very confused and offended,â€Â said New York mom Kim Trefcer. “ I find it frustrating as a parent who is trying to teach right from wrong to their kids and then you have things like this happen which is showing middle schoolers things like sex sells and all that goes along with that.â€Â … Mom of two teenagers Suzette Valle, who writes a blog called Mamarazzi Knows Best, thinks Cosmo is just piggy-backing on GQ’s publicity from last year and she finds the cover shot of Michele contradictory. “It’s irresponsible to be using an adult who represents a minor dressed in provocative clothes,â€Â Valle told Fox411. “I think Cosmo is now taking advantage of the raucous GQ caused with their ‘Glee’ cover and hoping to cash in on the press that got.â€Â (Pop culture expert and “Cult of Celebrityâ€Â author Cooper Lawrence) says “… Lea Michelle may be an adult, but to pretend that she doesn’t know her fans are 11 is just ignorance. Why take the risk that even one teenager will get the wrong message of from her idol? Now she is just turning off the parents of these kids who are her future consumers.â€Â ****************** While on one level it’s encouraging that moms and cultural commentators are taking notice and condemning this Cosmo cover, a couple of larger issues are what should actually be the focus. One factor is the view that the actress featured, Lea Michele, is considered a role-model because of the show “Gleeâ€Â on which she stars.  As the article above states, a large part of Glee’s audience is made up of teens and pre-teens.  However, someone should tells these moms who are concerned about the message sent by this Glee actress appearing on Cosmo that their kids are getting just as concerning messages each week from the show Glee.    (See https://americandecency.org/archives/glee-%e2%80%93-not-fit-for-family-viewing/) However, back to Cosmopolitan.  Cosmo is a magazine that isn’t just occasionally offensive – it is always offensive. It shouldn’t just be opposed when a questionable teen role model displays her body on the cover – it should always be opposed. Cosmo features the articles with such vile, perverse sexual content I won’t even offer examples as evidence.   Month after month the magazine gives lewd and explicit sexual “advice,â€Â turning what should be an expression of love between a husband and a wife into a pornographic and degrading act. Cosmo, a so-called women’s magazine, is in the business of convincing young women that love and acceptance hinges on demeaning themselves for the pleasure of men.  Just today one of my staff, while waiting in line at our local Wal-Mart, noticed a young couple behind her picking up the magazine to purchase.  The woman paged through it as the man with her looked over her shoulder and commented on one of the suggested sexual acts described in the magazine. There is no doubt this magazine is pornography and should not be in our family shopping centers! As we suggested yesterday regarding another concern, SI Swimsuit magazine, you can make a difference by speaking out to the store manager where you shop.  Let the store manager know you do not appreciate erotica in the checkout aisles.  Kindly, but firmly urge him to remove these magazines from checkout lanes, or at the very least place blinders over the covers. Encourage others to stand with you and speak out as well.  Perhaps show the store manager your weekly grocery receipts and ask which would be a greater impact on his store – losing numbers of grocery shoppers or a few magazine sales?  And be persistent!  Change may not occur over night, but continue to speak out.  God is honored with our faithfulness. As you take this stand, we’d love to hear of your account to share with and be an encouragement to others. Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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