Well after a very bad week on this blog covering murder and mayhem, we end this week on an upbeat note, sex may sell, but in the case of King Magazine, not well enough. You’ll have to get your photos of g-string clad Black women cocking their legs open in a three point stance somewhere else.
We just got word that KING Magazine (aka Butts and Rims) is closing shop, not even releasing it’s next issue. In this strained economy, the already dying print format is suffering big time. It is upsetting to hear of people losing jobs, but can this be considered a victory for women (in particular black women) who struggle against objectification at every turn? I have to admit, I enjoy the images, but I know it can’t really be good for raising the standards of our society. What do you think? (Okay Player) SOHH
I guess its hard for a print girlie magazine to make it when their customers can get their jollies trolling MySpace and YouTube for the same thing. Now if only the same plague will beset the rest of that segment of the industry.
For his part, Editor-in-Chief Jermaine Hall, the modern day slave auctioneer responsible for the publication defended selling off African American women body part by body part like some antebellum slave trader:
“I want them to portray themselves in a sexy, classy way,” Hall recently said. “Some want to go further and that’s fine too. Do it to your level. I would say to the Essence-reading jury pool: please open the magazine and see what else we have to offer. We will go to Denver and report on what really happened with Kobe’s rape case. We will do a story on someone like Lloyd Avery. We have meat and potatoes. No dis to other magazines. But we are not Black Men and Smooth. They serve a different audience. And I ask that we be looked at differently… That’s all I can say.” (Aliya S. King)
Yes, that’s all you can say.
So perk up ladies, what activism, engagement, and a desire to confront foolishness couldn’t do, the economy handled for you. Exhibit number 567 that is you cut off the money, the foolishness goes away. I know all you ESSENCE readers are heated right about now after that barb. 
Have a great weekend.
15 comments ↓
BRAVO!
Now if we can only get women to stop wanting to sell themselves for fortune and fame. If we can get women to not want to be in these magazines/videos/stupid reality shows then we will have done something AMAZING!
Good riddance to bad rubbish!!!
I don’t know if newsstands across the nation are arranged like they are here in New York, but it is terribly EMBARRASSING to walk into one that features an entire magazine wall of mainly very young black women, essentially naked, with their rear ends angled to the camera.
At least they keep the porn with the white women towards the back of the store, with coverings that obscure the nastiness…
I am assuming that KING is probably one of those magazines, correct?
I’m thrilled. I’ve viewed this magazine to give them the benefit of the doubt…what crap. The only credit I give them is that through their forum…I started commenting on my current blogs.
Sadly, there will be another degrading media outlet soo enough…
I’m glad it’s going away but there’s still Maxim, XXL (eye candy), FHM and others. These kind of bachelor rags will always be. They are just smuttier versions of the pinup mags that were very popular in the 40s, particularly during world war II. Matter of fact, if you look up some pinups (I am not sure if it’s Vargas or another artist) that had very suggestive paintings of women who always had their underwear down. Say she’s walking down the street with groceries in her hand…WHOOPS! There goes her draws. So she’s got this surprised look, in a slightly suggestive position, draws around her ankles and the friendly milkman just happens to be around. Very prurient but well drawn…
So if that’s going on in the 40s, there really is no end to this rags. Someone will replace them. After all those “models” have to work, right? They will just storm another mag’s offices.
I am glad King is closing down, I feeld bad for those losing work. It’s a small victory because smut is still a top seller.
Humming Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust.
Bet Uncut(bye bye), now King mag…yyyes!!! Now Black Men, Smooth, FHM, XXL, Ray J of Love, Real Chance of Love, Candy Girls(some new videochic show on E!), MTV, BET, VH1…man it’s like roaches, you’ll never get rid of them.
I’ve never been a King Mag reader, but why would yall want people to stop earning a living?
Do they objectify women or do women objectify themselves? There is nothing in King magazine that you can’t do a quick google search and find. As the author said, girls (even though they’re usually not as airbrushed and thick) are on myspace, facebook, blackplanet, etc…. and those girls aren’t even getting paid for it. They do it just to do it. Your fight should be educating your daughters, your sisters, your cousins, and friends…….and maybe they wouldn’t run out to be in these publications in the first place.
I think print magazines and newspapers are failing in general, because all it takes is a person to scan what’s in the magazine and upload it to your favorite blog or forum.
Women bodies temple from god that needs to be cherish. I am glad that king Magazine is closing their doors, God is still on the throne. Black women need to follow the steps Of Michelle Obama, Intelligence, charisma and charm. She is being welcome with open arms in Europe. Michelle carries her self like queen and is treated like royalty.
I’m sure all these booty magazines shared the same tiny pool of advertisers, so King got the shaft. Opps. Wrong phrasing. They just weren’t big enough for these hard times.
@Betty Chambers : You know you wrong for that
@ Betty Chambers, you are too funny as a comedian!
But seriously though, we must look at the broad picture; this blog keeps us up-to-date on all kinds of violence against women, porno protrayals of our sisters and young girls, the videos, etc. All these dangerous portrayals of us, combined with regular everyday racism, sexism, classism/capitalism, etc., it’s a very toxic, dangerous mix. And it’s very political and very deliberate. And just because we have an occasional Negro who wants to justify, intellectualize such non-sense, still does not make it right. This stuff is not heathly for human beings AND WE ARE STILL HUMAN BEINGS!
undressingHer said:
“I’ve never been a King Mag reader, but why would yall want people to stop earning a living?”
I said:
Huh? I don’t even understand the sentiment behind those who are ‘feeling sorry for’ those at King mag that have lost their ‘mode of income’. They have NONE OF MY SYMPATHY WHATSOEVER irresepctive of who they are. When that ‘mode of income’ was based on the EXPLOITATION and DEGRADATION of black women, well then as far as I am concerned, THEY ALL got their comeuppance. What next? I should feel sympathy for a pimp because kerb crawlers stop picking up his prostitutes?
No one is asking anyone to stop earning a living. I just don’t want that living to be earned of the EXPLOITATION and DEGRADATION of black women. PERIOD!!!
This is just a tiny victory for black women and our image. By the grace of God, may more of this filth meet the same end!!! AMEN
Spiritually, I can never argue with the points made by most of you.
But in just my honest opinion, King magazine doesn’t exploit women, women exploit themselves. Rather it’s in King, Playboy, a music video, a movie, etc…. I would assume that most of the women on here would not prostitute their image in this way no matter how much money a publication offered you. That goes to say, it’s not the publications fault, it’s the women willing to do it. I’ve dealt with enough women who sent me suggestive to nude pictures of themselves during the middle of the day……for free, and I have no commitment to these girls at all. As long as you have women out here like that, in the MILLIONS, then you will have publications that profit from it.
It just seems as if some of you spent as much time talking to young women as you did talking about the men and institutions they sell themselves to, it might help your goals become a reality a bit faster. There’s no faster way for King to fail than to not have any women to exploit.
@foxycleo…
I agree with your last comment. Please , I don’t feel sorry for these people. If they’re in the busines of journalism they’ll find work. The magazine was mostly about rims and barely clothed girls, there is plenty of media to continue there cause. (whatever that was…)
@undressingHER…
Hopefully I shouldn’t read anything into your screen name. I’m sure plenty of us are doing our part to reach others. I know I am. I have 5 daughters, 3 are grown and everyday I try to continue to raise them the best way. One has a Master’s; another her BA; One will enter her 3rd year of college in the fall; one is sophmore @ hifhschool and the 10 year old is on her way to a ‘gifted’ middle school- so I feel no EMPATHY’ for bashing King or any other tool like it. To infer that any of us that come here are not doing our part is ignorant, untrue and stupid!