Aug 29, 2008 8:43 pm US/Eastern
Boston Magazine Cover With Nudity Sparks Outrage
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
A magazine cover consisting of cartoons of naked people is raising quite a controversy in Boston.
While some say the latest issue of Boston's free Weekly Dig Magazine goes too far with images of people in the nude, the editors of the magazine say it's just art.
"This looks like something that belongs in an adult magazine," Roslindale resident Yves Pierre-Louis told WBZ.
"I think it's appalling to have something like this when kids are around," another person said.
The cover shows several unclothed men and women by a pool.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was not impressed.
"It's totally irresponsible to have a photo like this in a paper that's widely distributed around our city," Menino said. "Young children can see it. It's not what we should be showing our young people."
"I think it's sick. It's a sick picture," Yves Pierre-Louis said. "I don't know what they're trying to portray."
The Weekly Dig's creative director, Tak Toyoshima, stands by the team's decision to use the picture as the magazine's cover.
"The point of the cover is to celebrate summer, the end of summer," Toyoshima said. "It's the last hurrah, get all your ya yas out and just have fun."
Toyoshima says they weren't trying to offend anyone. He said they have all kinds of cover pictures and consider it art.
"Something like this is not to be sexual at all," he said. "They're nude, but there's nothing sexual happening."
Menino says he is going to look into whether he can remove the magazine dispenser boxes from nearby city buildings.
"That's part of the deterioration of our society to have things like this around," he said.
"He's got to do what he's got to do," Toyoshima said. "I can understand that. It's his realm. As long as he's not dictating what's on the cover, that's fine with me."
The magazine cover isn't connected to any article inside the Weekly Dig. Editors say artists send them pictures every day for their consideration.
They had this one for several weeks before deciding to use it for the end of summer edition.
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