We are the new anti body-shaming movement: #shamethatshelf and we think...

Magazine covers like this are unacceptable.

They are even more unacceptable when they are positioned in children's direct line of sight. (The image above is from Celeb Now magazine and was positioned 2 feet off the ground in M&S, Brixton Rd)

This petition is to get big retailers to listen to how we, society, don't want to be forced to see these magazine covers' and their harmful body shaming 'entertainment' any more. We call on Marks & Spencers, Sainsburys and Tesco to take a firm stance against negative and anxiety-probing magazine covers by implementing appropriate procedures, and inspire other retailers around the world to do the same.   

Retailers: Why should your staff be stacking magazines that make them feel uncomfortable about their weight? Why should customers' children associate 'the norm' of your shops' displays with imagery designed to embarrass women with phrases like: 'surprising tummy,' 'bizarre boobs,' and 'terrifying body'?

It is a consumer choice to buy a magazine but it is not a consumer choice to see a magazine cover. 

Prof. Baker said “young people are facing unprecedented pressures, not just over the emergence of cyberbullying and revenge porn, but constant exposure to unattainable aspirations of what they should look like, and be like.” ²

Recent figures by London, Endangered Bodies¹ reflect how awful statistics of body insecurity really are:

66% women are so diet savvy they can "look at a plate of food and say how many calories there on it"
86% - hate their podgy thighs
79% - unhappy with their waist
65% - are disappointed with the size and shape of their boobs
63% - say their arms are chunky

That's well over half of women who dislike a huge proportion of their body. 

Children as young as 3 are being reported to have issues with their body, according to a recent study by Pacey ³ :

24% childcare professionals have seen body confidence issues in children aged 3-5 years old

47% of child-carers have witnessed anxieties about body image in children aged 6-10 years old

It is hardly surprising that these figures are rising when so many harmful magazine covers lie on your big retailer shelves, waiting for kids to see.

We strongly advise you to combat this body shaming by:

Short term - initiate a protocol where magazine covers are judged on whether they are explicitly shaming of women's physical appearance.
Magazines that fail this protocol must be positioned out of children's direct sight. 
Long term - use this protocol to refuse stocking any magazine edition that is spreading this negative bullying context on its front cover. 

As we're sure you're aware Sadiq Khan recently banned all ads on London tubes that might cause body confidence issues in young people. Next, Lego took on the Daily Mail for its negative ideas on society. Now, we have started the petition to take the next step to battle this systemic money-making, insecurity-riddled entertainment and we hope you join our cause.

Please sign to protect children, protect women and protect society. 

P.S. Have you seen a shelf that needs shaming? Take a #shelfie or #shelfies and tell us where it is by using the #shamethatshelf hashtag. 

Please go to our facebook page for more visual evidence of Marks & Spencers, Tesco and Sainsburys stores presenting body shaming magazines at children height. https://www.facebook.com/shamethatshelf/photos/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/shamethatshelf

Twitter: @shamethatshelf

Instagram: @shamethatshelf

shamethatshelf@gmail.com

 

 
1 http://london.endangeredbodies.org/get_informed

2 https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/sep/29/self-harm-ptsd-and-mental-illness-soaring-among-young-women-in-england-survey

3 https://www.pacey.org.uk/news-and-views/news/children-as-young-as-3-unhappy-with-their-bodies/