LOS ANGELES (WordNews.org) June 5, 2012 –An effort is underway, backed by the granddaughter of media mogul William Randolph Hearst, that would put the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine behind a non-transparent wrapper like pornographic magazines.

Victoria Hearst said the Hearst-owned Cosmopolitan is pushing the limits in terms of explicit content while also featuring underage Dakota Fanning, and Disney star Selena Gomez, on covers earlier this year.

Ms. Hearst is joining Nicole Weider, a Christian model who founded ProjectInspired.com, to launch an effort to have Cosmo sold to adults only.

“I am the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst and my father is the late Randolph Hearst,” said Hearst.  “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. I had the support of two female psychologists and counselors who attest that this content hurts young girls.  Like Nicole, I also asked that the magazine be sold only to adults 18 and older.”

Hearst said she never received a reply from Hearst Corp. She decided to join Weider in her campaign.

“Parents, teachers, and church leaders need to know just how damaging the content of Cosmopolitan magazine is to the development of young girls,” Weider said. “I couldn’t be happier to have Victoria by our side in this battle.”

Weider’s Change.org campaign demands that Cosmopolitan be sold in a non-transparent wrapper to adults only to prevent children from buying and reading material inappropriate for their development. The petition already has 33,000 signatures. To view the petition, click here.

“We are not asking Cosmopolitan to change their content,” said Weider.  “We simply want them to take responsibility for it. They say it’s for adults, so let them sell it only to adults. This is what we are in communication with the FTC about. If they are going to print sexually explicit articles and images, it should not be marketed and sold to kids. It’s that simple.”