Walmart to pull Cosmopolitan magazine from checkouts in 5,000 stores

A cultural change is coming to the checkouts at Walmart.

The retail giant has announced it will be pulling Cosmopolitan magazine from the checkout aisles of more than 5,000 stores across the county, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

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The National Center of Sexual Exploitation called the move a victory as it has petitioned Walmart to remove the magazine from the shelves.

In a "thank you" message posted on the center's website, movement members say "families and individuals will no longer be automatically exposed to Cosmo's hypersexualized and degrading article titles ... all while marketing toward young teens with Disney star cover models."

The center also said it has worked with Walmart for months on the new policy and "applaud Walmart for making their checkout aisles family-friendly and sexploitation-free."

NCOSE vice president of advocacy and outreach Haley Halverson told USA Today, "This is one less drop of hyper-sexualized media that is going to be bombarding people in their everyday lives, which does make a difference, especially in this Me Too culture that we're living in, where we really want a culture that will respect women and ensure their dignity is understood."

Walmart is calling the change a "business decision," CNBC reported.

Cosmopolitan, which was first printed in 1962, is owned by Hearst Communications and has a circulation of more than 18 million readers a month, CNBC reported.

While the magazine will be pulled from the checkout, Walmart told CNBC in a statement that it will still offer Cosmo in the stores.

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