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'Modesty bags' on lads' mags would be a fig leaf 'Modesty bags' on lads' mags would be a fig leaf
(about 2 months later)
How short can a model's skirt be before a modesty sleeve is pulled down? It's a question that will face the Co-op, which after listening to consumer concerns has told publishers to put "modesty covers" on certain magazines or risk them being withdrawn from sale.How short can a model's skirt be before a modesty sleeve is pulled down? It's a question that will face the Co-op, which after listening to consumer concerns has told publishers to put "modesty covers" on certain magazines or risk them being withdrawn from sale.
It hasn't satisfied supporters of the Lose The Lads' Mags campaign who want the titles pulled entirely, instead of being placated with what they've called "misogyny bags". Neither has this measure settled whether the only difference between the covers of FHM and Vogue is whether the price of the thong is provided.It hasn't satisfied supporters of the Lose The Lads' Mags campaign who want the titles pulled entirely, instead of being placated with what they've called "misogyny bags". Neither has this measure settled whether the only difference between the covers of FHM and Vogue is whether the price of the thong is provided.
Lad mags can be problematic but I also find the very concept of gendered reading strange. Both sides of the shelf peddle dodgy science, ridiculous standards of beauty and an unfortunate attachment to portmanteaus and trendy abbreviations, "appaz". I had concerns about the campaign that singled out magazines aimed at men by lumping them together as "lad mags", but like Object and UK Feminista, I am also disappointed by "modesty covers". It's a solution that tackles the aesthetics but not the ethics. And the ethical issues in the media – the ones that cause proven harm – have very little to do with push-up bras.Lad mags can be problematic but I also find the very concept of gendered reading strange. Both sides of the shelf peddle dodgy science, ridiculous standards of beauty and an unfortunate attachment to portmanteaus and trendy abbreviations, "appaz". I had concerns about the campaign that singled out magazines aimed at men by lumping them together as "lad mags", but like Object and UK Feminista, I am also disappointed by "modesty covers". It's a solution that tackles the aesthetics but not the ethics. And the ethical issues in the media – the ones that cause proven harm – have very little to do with push-up bras.
It's a dilemma that's also apparent in David Cameron's proposed crackdown on "rape porn". Focus too much on appearances and we promote the idea that rape isn't in the lack of consent, but the eye of the beholder. Likewise, there is no concrete evidence to suggest covering up a model benefits society, but there are serious reasons to be asking the "progressive" magazines if they're paying their interns.It's a dilemma that's also apparent in David Cameron's proposed crackdown on "rape porn". Focus too much on appearances and we promote the idea that rape isn't in the lack of consent, but the eye of the beholder. Likewise, there is no concrete evidence to suggest covering up a model benefits society, but there are serious reasons to be asking the "progressive" magazines if they're paying their interns.
Sophie Bennet, spokeswoman for the Lose the Lads' Mags campaign by UK Feminista and Object, is adamant that "the issue for the thousands of people who have called on shops to lose the lads' mags is absolutely not about nudity. It's about sexism." The problem is that the campaign limited itself to cleavage when its choice of umbrella term put Zoo under the microscope but not Vogue, whose photoshoots feature similar nudity with the added benefit of price tags on the lingerie.Sophie Bennet, spokeswoman for the Lose the Lads' Mags campaign by UK Feminista and Object, is adamant that "the issue for the thousands of people who have called on shops to lose the lads' mags is absolutely not about nudity. It's about sexism." The problem is that the campaign limited itself to cleavage when its choice of umbrella term put Zoo under the microscope but not Vogue, whose photoshoots feature similar nudity with the added benefit of price tags on the lingerie.
We should be asking why a "nice boy" reading the New Yorker can be misogynistic, while another "lad" can read Nuts without seeing women as "sex objects". Jo Swinson, minister for women and equalities, supports the "modesty bags" and describes how "sexualised imagery has become like wallpaper". This is an observation backed up by the Office of the Children's Commissioner's study, Basically … porn is everywhere, but its solution is for relevant sex education that isn't taught by an embarrassed maths teacher.We should be asking why a "nice boy" reading the New Yorker can be misogynistic, while another "lad" can read Nuts without seeing women as "sex objects". Jo Swinson, minister for women and equalities, supports the "modesty bags" and describes how "sexualised imagery has become like wallpaper". This is an observation backed up by the Office of the Children's Commissioner's study, Basically … porn is everywhere, but its solution is for relevant sex education that isn't taught by an embarrassed maths teacher.
Some misogynists do read Nuts. There are also bible-carrying sexists and men wearing This Is What A Feminist Looks Like shirts sewn by women and girls in sweatshops. Until we tackle the core issues that produce a sexist society, a modesty sleeve is just a fig leaf to cover the shame that in 2013 MPs voted no to reforms to sex/relationship education, including lessons on consent. We can get a female face on the banknote but we struggle to get the cash spent on sexual health groups like Brook and Bish Training, which try to engage young people on sexual issues, including those raised by explicit imagery. For some readers, these websites will have been blocked by service providers which have deemed their sexual content inappropriate. In an age in which feminism is used as an accessory to who you are instead of what you do, our activism needs to achieve more than a superficial change.Some misogynists do read Nuts. There are also bible-carrying sexists and men wearing This Is What A Feminist Looks Like shirts sewn by women and girls in sweatshops. Until we tackle the core issues that produce a sexist society, a modesty sleeve is just a fig leaf to cover the shame that in 2013 MPs voted no to reforms to sex/relationship education, including lessons on consent. We can get a female face on the banknote but we struggle to get the cash spent on sexual health groups like Brook and Bish Training, which try to engage young people on sexual issues, including those raised by explicit imagery. For some readers, these websites will have been blocked by service providers which have deemed their sexual content inappropriate. In an age in which feminism is used as an accessory to who you are instead of what you do, our activism needs to achieve more than a superficial change.
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