Tesco strikes ‘modesty’ deal over lads’ mags

SUPERMARKET giant Tesco have announced that so-called “lads’ mags”, usually featuring images of scantily-clad women, will now be “more modest” in their high-street stores.
Tesco are to follow the lead of the Co-op in covering up the magazines. Picture: PATesco are to follow the lead of the Co-op in covering up the magazines. Picture: PA
Tesco are to follow the lead of the Co-op in covering up the magazines. Picture: PA

Tesco said it has struck a modesty deal regarding the front covers of magazines such as Zoo, Nuts and Front and that Bizarre will be supplied in a bag.

The supermarket is bringing in a raft of measures, starting from now, across its 3,000 stores in the UK in response to customer concerns about the racy images.

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A Tesco spokesman said: “We have had in depth conversations with our customers about this issue and we’re putting new measures in place based on what they have told us they want.

“We’ve listened carefully to the concerns raised by the campaign groups but our priority is to make sure we meet our customers’ needs and expectations.

“To do that we have secured agreement from the publishers of Zoo, Nuts and Front that their magazine covers will be more modest from now on and the publishers of Bizarre will now supply the magazine in a bag.

“We are restricting the sale of these magazines to people over the age of 18 to reassure parents who do not want their children to be able to purchase these titles.

“And we will ensure these titles are always placed on the back tier of the magazine shelves so that the cover is obscured with only the title visible.”

Feminist campaign group Lose the Lads’ Mags has been part of a driving force in a campaign maintaining it is unacceptable to treat women like sex objects.

They have been targeting high street supermarkets and newsagents which stock the magazines declaring that it is “a national scandal” they are putting them up for sale.

They state: “Lads mags aren’t just a bit of harmless fun. By portraying women as dehumanised sex objects they fuel attitudes that underpin discrimination and violence against women. Displaying lads’ mags in everyday spaces like supermarkets sends the deeply harmful message that treating women like sex objects is normal and acceptable.”

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