Major retailers to censor 'pornographic' Cosmopolitan magazine behind blinders - just like Playboy and Hustler - after bowing to pressure from campaigners 

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Several major retailers have agreed to censor the US version of popular women's magazine Cosmopolitan behind blinders, after facing pressure from a campaign led by the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, the man who founded the company that owns the publication.

Victoria Hearst, 58, the born-again Christian granddaughter of the Hearst Corporation founder, began a campaign in April, called Cosmo Harms Minors, which is aimed at forcing all retailers to censor the publication, and stop selling it to children under the age of 18.

Along with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCSE), a group which 'opposes pornography by highlighting the links to sex trafficking, violence against women, child abuse and addiction', the group has scored what it sees as a major victory in its campaign; as of Friday all stores owned by Rite Aid and Delhaize America (which includes Food Lion and Hannaford Stores) agreed to cover up issues of Cosmopolitan.

Censorship: Rite Aid and Delhaize America stores - which include Food Lion supermarkets - will now hide Cosmopolitan magazines behind blinders to obscure the photos and racy cover lines

Think of the children! The crusade is being led in part by Victoria Hearst (pictured), granddaughter of Hearst Corporation founder William Randolph Hearst

But that is just the first step of the campaign being spearheaded by Ms Hearst - who is also the founder of non-denominational religious organization Praise Him Ministries - according to Refinery 29, which reports that both Ms Hearst and the NCSE eventually want shops to be banned from selling the magazine to anyone under the age of 18.

'We're not trying to censor Cosmo. We're not trying to put it out of business,' Ms Hearst explained at a press conference before adding that, actually, if she could, she would: 'All we're saying is: You want to print pornography, I can't stop you.

'If I was queen of the Hearst Corporation, this magazine would no longer exist.' 

Ms Hearst is the youngest sister of Patty and Anne Hearst, and the daughter of Randolph Apperson Hearst, the former chairman of the Hearst Corporation, and is one of only a few members of the Hearst family to have distanced themselves from the business entirely. 

According to the Observer, Ms Hearst used her inheritance to buy a 10,000sqft barn in Ridgway, Colorado, where she founded Praise Him Ministries, a 'non-denominational, events-oriented ministry', in 2001. 

Our eyes! The new policy is meant to prevent minors from seeing cover lines like 'I Demand an Orgasm Every Time' and 'Wild Summer Sex: 8 Surprise Moves from Foreplay to Fireworks' 

In the family: Ms Hearst is a born-again Christian who launched a campaign called Cosmo Harms Minors

In her bio on the ministry's website, Ms Hearst explains that it was a 'bad relationship with a man that caused her to say the sinner’s prayer and give her life to Jesus Christ in December 1995'. 

Ms Hearst told the Observer in June 2012, that she has been working to try and enforce restrictions on Cosmopolitan since she first founded her ministry, although her official campaign was only started this year. 

'About 11 years ago, I contacted Frank Bennack and the Board of the Hearst Corporation and told them that what they are publishing in Cosmopolitan magazine was pornographic,' she explained to the Observer. 

'I had the support of two female psychologists and counselors who attest that this content hurts young girls.'

Then, earlier this year, Ms Hearst joined forces with the NCSE to try and up her efforts in terms of having the 'pornographic' magazine censored. 

The NCSE also compares the publication to 'porn magazines' and claimed in a joint press release with Ms Hearst that this new measure of hiding the covers from the general public will 'protect underage children from being exposed to the magazine’s sexually explicit covers showing scantily clad female celebrities and article titles with the words "sex" and "orgasm".'

Unlike many actual pornographic magazines however, which are completely wrapped in polybags, copies of Cosmopolitan will only be hidden behind blinders, which will not obscure the entire front cover of the magazine, but instead hide its headlines, which campaigners view as being 'pornographic' in nature.

In a statement, Hearst Corporation said of the group's campaign: 'Cosmopolitan is the most successful global media brand for young women, publishing 60 editions in 79 countries and 32 languages.

'Its award-winning content is produced for adults by leading female journalists.  

Top seller: In the US, Cosmo has a circulation of over three million and is one of the top consumer magazines

Too racy? Celebrities are often seen baring skin on the cover of Cosmo, which features lines like 'make him better in bed' and 'real sex confessions'

'We are proud of all that the brand has achieved for women around the world in the areas of health, relationships, career, politics, equality, and social issues.' 

Dawn Hawkins, executive director of the NCSE, told WWD that she thinks Cosmo's future is, in fact, in danger - and if the editors don't shape up soon, profits will be hurting.

'We hope that covering it sends the message to shoppers that Cosmo is not a women’s friendly magazine, but that it really is pushing women to accept the pornified and sexually violent culture around us,' she said. 

'Once people realize what Cosmo is really promoting, we expect that either sales will drop or Cosmo will be forced to change their course.'

Cosmopolitan has a circulation of over three million, and is one of the top consumer magazines on the market in the United States.