Walmart has decided to remove Cosmopolitan Magazine from its Checkout aisles at 5,000 stores across The United States. In a statement shared with USA Today, Meggan Kring, a spokesperson for the retail giant, cited the move as a "business decision" influenced by concerns that were heard. She stated that the company will continue to sell the magazine but it will no longer be available for purchase in the checkout aisles. They will also continue to evaluate all the products in their stores and make changes where necessary.

On Tuesday, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), a non-profit organization founded in 1962, announced in a press release that it helped instigate the policy change because children need to be shielded from "degrading" and "offensive material."

'Cosmo sends the same message as 'Playboy'

The Executive Director of NCOSE, Dawn Hawkins, stated that they were proud to work with a retail company like Walmart to fight "sexually exploitative" influences in society.

Hawkins said that the women's fashion magazine sends the same message as Playboy because they present women as "inanimate s** objects" whose value is determined by their ability to satisfy the sexual needs of men. The NCOSE, formerly known as Morality in Media, is an avid supporter of the #MeToo campaign; they tweeted, "Thank you @Walmart for removing @Cosmopolitan magazine from your checkout aisles!

Your stores are more family-friendly because of it! #ThanksWalmart."

Twitter is divided in opinion

People expressed their opinion via Twitter, and while some seem to support Walmart's bold move, others are completely against the decision. Amanda Mckelvey of Business Insider said, "Pulling a magazine that empowers women to talk about s** in a healthy and positive way is counter-productive.

Not only does Cosmo publish articles about s** & relationships, it also discusses politics, health, news and so much more. Don't de-emphasize that important work, Walmart."

Another Twitter user pointed out that they have misunderstood the #MeToo movement, "The grossest thing is how these folks are blatantly distorting what the #MeToo movement is about to justify pushing Cosmo off of Walmart checkout shelves."

One user agreed with the move but cited the reason behind it as a poor excuse, "I don’t agree with @walmart using the #metoo movement to pull the mag, really bad timing & poor excuse.

But honestly, Cosmo should’ve been pulled years ago. The topics & pics on the covers are inappropriate for children’s eyes. I won’t miss seeing it in line."
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