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A campaign launched by UK Feminista and the anti-objectification organisation Object aims to put pressure on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda and WHSmith to remove lads' mags from their shelves.
If they fail to act, the lawyers threaten to bring a test case and will support employees uncomfortable with images of naked and near-naked women on magazines.
"For too long supermarkets have got off the hook, stocking lads' mags in the face of widespread opposition, but this time we have the law on our side," said Kat Banyard, founder of UK Feminista. "Every shop that sells lads' mags – publications which are deeply harmful to women – are opening themselves up to legal action."
The group says retail employees have told them they dislike handling the magazines but feel powerless to take up the issue with their employers.
"One woman said to us: 'Those magazines don't do women any favours, they are appalling and demeaning to women, but what can little old me do about it?' Well, employees need to know they don't need to put up with it any more."
Sophie Bennett, campaigns officer for Object, said: "Lads' mags dehumanise and objectify women, promoting harmful attitudes that underpin discrimination and violence against women and girls. Reducing women to sex objects sends out an incredibly dangerous message that women are constantly sexually available and displaying these publications in everyday spaces normalises this sexism."
The lawyers' letter supports the campaign and urges high-street retailers to immediately withdraw magazines and papers featuring explicit covers from their stores.
You couldn't make this up, The Daily Mash might have tried at some point before giving up on grounds of credulity being stretched to unreasonable levels.