Christian model fights to put "disgusting" Cosmo in non-transparent wrapper
By Jeff MillsJanuary 6th, 2012, 1:30 pmComments (6)
Cosmopolitan has come a long way since its first issue in 1887, baby, but if you ask model Nicole Weider, it's come a little too far. The devoutly Christian Oregon native moved to Hollywood as a teenager, becoming a fashion model before succumbing to depression. Then she had an epiphany in her early twenties, and decided to help young girls avoid the kinds of pitfalls she encountered in the "dark city." Weider is indignant, nay, livid, with Cosmo and all it stands for, writing that it's "just as bad as a pornographic magazine."
Weider is currently involved with her "Project Anti-Cosmo" (part of her larger "Project Inspired"), trying to spread the word about the pernicious influence the magazine is having on teenage girls. In August, she initiated a Change.org petition (which currently has almost 14,000 signatures) to have the magazine covered in a non-transparent wrapper, so as to protect the vulnerable eyes of young girls in supermarket aisles, who already know that Teen Mom 2's Leah Messer is pregnant again.
Weider said:
"As a former reader of the magazine, I happened to pick up an issue and was reading it and was completely shocked at how pornographic and explicit the content had become. I immediately thought of my young teenage brothers and it horrified me to think that they and their friends could be reading this material, and the damage it would do to them if they did. So I decided to do something about it."
Weider is also striving to see that no one under eighteen can purchase the semi-misogynistic magazine aimed at women. There's no doubt that her heart is in the right place, but getting so exercised over February cover girl Dakota Fanning wearing bunny ears in the magazine seems a bit much. Recusing myself from snark duty, here's L.A.-based writer/reporter Jenn Hoffman:
"Is this really happening in 2012? Next thing you know, they'll want to ban Elvis and these 'talking pictures' for being too risque. If you want to hide the cover of Cosmo, why not hide the cover of tabloid magazines too? Maybe we should cover up any publication that promotes values we don't like. Where is the petition to shield kids from the dangerously salacious image of Kim Kardashian?"
Commentarium (6 Comments)
So, you're gonna censor EVERY MAGAZINE and NEWSPAPER on the grocery check out aisle??? And how about the internet?
Just like every other Christian out to "save" the world, you totally miss the point and are channeling your energy into the wrong direction.
You need to educate young people so they can make an informed decision on their own. Keeping the cover hidden will not keep teenagers from sexual imagery or experimenting.
Catch a clue.
I very much agree with SB. Education is key. People should have the tools they need to decide what to do or not do and take responsability of their decisions.
The problem is that if people learn to think more critically, they'd turn that attention to what TV personalities say about their religion.
i'd hit that.
Another case of the religious right burying their heads in the sand. If we can't see it, it's not there. It doesn't exist...
This isn't just about protecting young eyes from inappropriate pictures/content. I'm an over 40 mother and *I* don't want to see these magazine covers and sexual words jumping out at me at the checkout stand.
Now you say something