Just this morning, Twitter exploded with the update that Walmart has tried to join the #MeToo movement by removing Cosmopolitan magazines from the checkout aisle. An article on Fortune.com explains the actions of Walmart in more detail.
The retailer announced in a statement, "As with all products in our store, we continue to evaluate our assortment and make changes. Walmart will still continue to offer Cosmopolitan to customers that wish to purchase the magazine, but it will no longer be located in the checkout aisle." (You can read the full story on Fortune.com.)
While the retailer may have good intentions, these actions actually do a disservice to women and sex education as a whole.
Someone else who believed to have some say in this matter is The National Center on Sexual Exploitation who have accused the magazine and its creators of using the same sexual exploitation as that of the Playboy magazines. The organization stated, "Walmart's removal of Cosmo from checkout lines is an incremental but significant step towards creating a culture where women and girls are valued as whole persons, rather than sexual objects."
My question to the NCOSE is this: Is a woman who is perfectly consenting to taking a sexy photo automatically less of a person solely because she is proud of her body?
When I read this article the words "slut-shaming" quickly came to mind. Slut-shaming is defined as "the action of stigmatizing a woman for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative." While I understand that it is important in learning respect for ourselves as women, being shamed for enjoying sexual activities, discussing, or taking empowering and sexy photos (with full consent) surely isn't the answer.
Moreover, the idea of respecting women can be easily misconstrued when types of clothing become a factor. In past surveys, many people still believe that if a woman is dressed provocatively, it's automatically okay to rape someone because it is justifiable given those circumstances.
In case anyone has been living under a rock, the whole point of the #MeToo movement is to call men out on using their career and experiences to take advantage and to sexually harass women. The NCOSE fails to understand that the Cosmo magazines aren't masturbation material, but actually strive to provide better sex education and empowerment to all its readers.
With all other factors concerned, personally, I don't know what everyone's deal is? The #MeToo movement teaches people one thing; leave women tf alone! Leave us alone, let us be women! If I want to be a sex freak or wear revealing clothes then let me do it! Don't judge or insult me, don't touch me, without consent, don't rape me, just leave me alone. If I choose to cover my body or be more conservative then let, again don't insult me for my choice because IT IS MY BODY, SO IT'S MY CHOICE!
Among many women, I too have many opinions in regards to magazines sold in retailers: the usage of Photoshop, the lack of plus-sized models, the influence of respect for young girls. However, to hide a magazine containing a picture of strong, independent women not only shames women's sexuality as a whole but can be detrimental in educating everyone in the importance of consent but also disregards the #MeToo's entire point: sexual harassment isn't about sex, it's about entitled men abusing their power in the workplace to take advantage of women.
What do you think about Walmart's decision to remove Cosmo magazine from the shelves?
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