Bye bye, boobies: A racy Australian men’s magazine has been pulled from the shelves of a major supermarket chain following a petition and an online campaign calling for its removal.
Zoo Weekly, also known as Zoo, features photos of scantily-clad women and articles that cater to a young, horny male crowd in what many believe is sexist and objectifying content. Critics have been lobbying for its removal from supermarkets, citing that a “family-friendly” space is no place for such a magazine.
Why are @Coles @woolworths staff required to handle & sell Zoo mag that promotes #sexualharassment ? #binzoomag pic.twitter.com/iVYlvxMmDn
— Melinda (@MelLiszewski) August 14, 2015
The supermarket chain Coles did not say outright that the #BinZooMag campaign spurred the decision to remove the magazine from its shelves: A spokesperson told Mumbrella the decision to pull Zoo was made following a “regular range review.” Nevertheless, lobby group Collective Shout, which has been active in attempting to ban the magazine, still sees this as a success on their part.
Three months ago, Laura Pintur, a supporter of Collective Shout, started a petition to have Zoo pulled from shelves at Coles and their competitor, Woolworths. “It’s time Woolworths put actions to their ‘family friendly’ advertising,” it said. “For them to continue selling this sexist, vile magazine to young boys is shameful.” That petition has collected almost 40,000 signatures.
Critics also took to Twitter, via the #BinZooMag hashtag, to bring attention to instances of objectification in the magazine.
"she shows us the most sought-after beach property in Oz" Zoo describes woman as property @woolworths #binzoomag pic.twitter.com/aNxk2zNOp5
— Melinda (@MelLiszewski) August 18, 2015
The petition also alleged that Zoo promotes a “rape culture,” and pointed out problematic articles that suggest using alcohol as a means to seduce women.
https://twitter.com/CollectiveShout/status/600121955929366528
In the UK, a similar campaign — #NoMorePage3 — and its accompanying petition aims to get rid of the “bare boobs” that can be found on the third page of The Sun, a widely-read tabloid. The page regularly features a photo of a topless female model.
The author of the #NoMorePage3 petition requested The Sun’s editor, David Dinsmore, to “stop showing topless pictures of young women in Britain’s most widely read newspaper” and to “stop conditioning your readers to view women as sex objects.”
Rupert Murdoch, the business magnate who relaunched The Sun as a tabloid in 1969 and owns the corporation that publishes it, has even voiced his support for #NoMorePage3, calling it “old-fashioned” and suggesting it be revamped to feature “glamorous fashionistas” in lieu of topless women.
While Murdoch’s sentiment is a step forward, Dinsmore said he publishes The Sun “for its readers” and will continue to cater to what his audience wants.