Retailers back right to sell ‘lads’ mags’

The chief executive of a body representing Irish newsagents has defended a shops’ right to stock “lads’ mags” on their shelves as they are operating fully within the law.

Vincent Jennings, of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association, responding to a letter from 11 lawyers in Britain to The Guardian newspaper calling for high-street retailers to “immediately withdraw lads’ mags and papers featuring pornographic front covers from their stores”.

The lawyers had claimed: “Such exposure is actionable where it violates the dignity of individual employees or customers, or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them.”

But Vincent Jennings said retailers in this country had an “absolute right” to decide what range of magazines they want to sell.

He said there are three classes of magazines; “lad’s mags” such as Zoo and Nuts; mainstream adult magazines such as Playboy; and outright pornography.

Mr Jennings said the retailers decided which titles to sell and would never ask their staff to engage in anything which was illegal.

He questioned what would constitute grounds for legal action pointing out that there are other magazines that would offend other groups of people such as guns and ammunition publications, hunting magazines or those based around farming activities.

Mr Jennings said newspapers would often run editorials which the newsagent would not necessarily agree with but they would still continue to sell them to give their customers choice.

“Retailers are conscious of their customers and their opinions,” he said, adding that here in Ireland retailers would have a smaller range of magazines on sale because they do not need to sell the others. He also said that they should be allowed to offer a choice of the magazines as long as they are not sold in a “visually sensitive” location on the shelves.

In Britain, the Lose the Lads’ Mags campaign by pressure groups UK Feminista and Object, says it has been contacted by employees who dislike handling such magazines but who feel they have no power to take the issue up with their employers.

UK Feminista and Object are discussing with lawyers about bringing a test case and will support employees who are uncomfortable with images of naked or near-naked women on magazines, The Guardian said.

Kat Banyard, founder of UK Feminista, told the paper: “For too long, supermarkets have got off the hook, stocking lads’ mags in the face of wide- spread opposition, but this time we have the law on our side.

“Every shop that sells lads’ mags — publications which are deeply harmful to women — are opening themselves up to legal action.”

Sophie Bennett, campaigns officer for Object, said: “Lads’ mags dehumanise and objectify women, promoting harmful attitudes that underpin discrimination and violence against women and girls.

“Reducing women to sex objects sends out an incredibly dangerous message that women are constantly sexually available and displaying these publications in everyday spaces normalises this sexism.”