COMMENTARY

While it is perfectly acceptable for tabloid newspapers in the UK to titillate their readers with female breasts and nipples galore without a murmur from the nation’s largest newsagent with branches in every high street, when a lesbian magazine produces a cover that shows part of one breast, sans nipple, all hell lets loose.

DIVA, Europe’s leading lesbian glossy monthly, has immortalised the legendary cover of Rolling Stone Magazine featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono, but using two women.

The original Rolling Stone cover, taken by Annie Leibovitz was to be the last photograph taken of John Lennon – taken the day before his death in December 1980.

Published in the following January 1981, the iconic cover has recently been ranked the top magazine cover of the last 40 years by a panel of magazine editors, artists and designers.

Celebrating the sensuality of sex, DIVA reworked the image to include two ladies, not only to reflect the sexuality of the magazine, but also to reflect Leibovitz’s significant contribution to magazine culture.

“The cover image of Yoko and John taken by Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone magazine in 1981 is one of the most iconic of our time. DIVA’s sensual sex- themed issue was inspired by and created as an homage to Leibovitz and her outstanding and enduring cultural contribution,” editor Jane Czyzselska said.

Just as the presses were about to roll, the publishers were told by the retailer that the magazine couldn’t run with the iconic cover.

“Unfortunately, we were forced to censor the cover because one major retailer objected to it.  They didn’t explain why,” Ms Czyzselska said.

Which retailer is it that took on the role of “censor”.  One does not need to be a rocket scientist to come up with the name WH Smith whose shelves contain a wide range of titles aimed at the more adult end of the market, not to mention the tabloid newspapers that often publish “topless” photos of girls, sometimes two girls together in a much more salacious pose that on the original DIVA cover.

DIVA’s art department quickly moved the wording “The Super Sexy Issue” to cover the offending breast – and the magazine can now be sold in the 543 high street stores and 259 outlets at airports, train stations and motorway service stations operated by WH Smith.

The big question is this.  The retailer could hardly have demanded the cover changed because of part of one female breast, as on sale are many other titles with female breasts.

So, how about homophobia?  Heterosexuality is championed and celebrated all around us on billboards, magazine covers, in film, and on TV, but lesbian sexuality is considered by some as shameful.

This could hardly be the case as the “acceptable” cover still depicts two women - naked and in an embrace. 

A spokesperson for WH Smith said that the projected cover was “a step away from the magazine’s usual covers”.  She went on to say that the company told the publisher that it could be sold with the proposed cover if every copy was “bagged”.

“The publisher decided to revise the cover,” she added.

■  The April edition of DIVA goes on sale in the UK on March 6

LINK

website

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.  

Posted: 28 February 2008 at 17:00 (UK time)