These stores decided Cosmo covers are too racy for kids to see

Cosmopolitan magazine
(Image credit: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Image)

Rite Aid and Food Lion don't want minors in their store learning "25 Ways to Kiss a Naked Man," apparently. That is, you guessed it, a run-of-the-mill Cosmopolitan headline. The pharmacy and grocery chains announced Wednesday they'll shield minors from the horrors of sexual content by putting blinders on the magazine's cover, The New York Times reports.

The blinders will hide the cover's headlines, but not the magazine title or model. So not to worry, your kid can still gaze at barely naked women — he just can't read about them.

The move comes in response to a campaign against Hearst by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, ironically started by William Randolph Hearst's own granddaughter, who does not have an official title at the company.

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There's no word yet if other magazine-selling chain stores will follow suit. Meanwhile, the Times points out even racier covers routinely go unguarded. Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, anyone?

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.