Magazine Racks

I think a few times when I was growing up I remember my mom complaining to grocery store managers about magazine covers on display check out aisles. I don't remember thinking much about it other than remembering her doing it. As a young adult, I know I've seen many magazine covers showing "scantly clad" (Is this a favorite LDS term? It's the one that comes to mind in this context) women, but I don't think I ever thought much about them until after I learned that my husband had been viewing pornography. For the few months after I learned, I became uber sensitive to media portrayals of women. I knew I could not wage a war against the public displayal of all media showing women not dressed according to LDS standards of modesty, but in the first month after learning about my husbands' pornography use, I saw a magazine cover in a check out line that was particularly provocative and I blushed (and steamed) inside thinking about what it would be like for him to be standing in this line, waiting to check out. After buying my groceries, I went to customer service, waited for a few people to buy lotto tickets, and made my complaint. They made note of it, and I think the next time I went to the store I noticed that the magazine had been covered or moved, though I honestly can't remember.

Today I was waiting in line at Wal-Mart (I now live in a different state) and did a double-take when I saw this month's Cosmopolitan. Technically there are/have been plenty of magazines showing the same amount of a woman's skin on the cover, but the particular areas of skin showing in combination with the woman's pose left me very uncomfortable. I had both of my girls in the cart with me though, and we were overdue for lunch and nap time, so I thought about just going straight to the car instead of making a complaint. I could always call from home, I thought. But I'm glad, for the woman in me and the mother in me, that I took the time to wheel into the customer service line. It was a short wait and the girls acted fine. The woman behind the counter responded just as I would have hoped---she said she would tell her manager and even double-checked the name of the magazine with me as she dialed the phone to do so as I walked away. I'm sure I'll be at the store again in the next week, and it will be interesting to see if any action has been taken. I know sometimes they have to have a certain number of complaints, and really I understand and accept that nothing may happen. But in the context of trying to protect myself, my children, and others from the harming affects of pornography, I feel like I did a valuable thing.

Another thought I just had was that I don't know if my daughters will ever learn about their dad's pornography use (they are younger than school age, so I feel like I have a very long while before I even consider whether it's appropriate to tell them, thank goodness), but hopefully, just like I remembered my mom's actions, they will always remember my actions---my willingness to take a public stand against innappropriate media---and that will give them the strength they may need some day to face whatever moral issues they may face (although I pray they never have the particular trials I have).