Limited-edition covers of the February issue of Cosmopolitan UK depict a woman suffocating in plastic. The shocking image and visceral experience — the plastic needs to be ripped open — is meant to protest honor killings, in which someone is murdered by a relative who believes the victim has brought shame on their family.
The cover puts one such killing at the forefront of readers' minds. According to AdWeek, "In 2004, a 17-year-old British-Pakistani woman named Shafilea Ahmed was suffocated and murdered by her parents, in front of her siblings, after she refused an arranged marriage."
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Ahmed's parents were found guilty of her murder in 2012 after her younger sister told police she had witnessed her parents suffocate Shafilea with a plastic bag. "Your concern about being shamed in your community was greater than the love of your child," the judge told the Ahmeds during sentencing. They are both serving a minimum of 25 years in jail.
The campaign includes a short online film, which shows the issue being removed from the plastic wrapping, "signifying the release of women from violence," AdWeek explains. Cosmo is also partnering with human rights organizations to organize a Day of Memory for Britain's Lost Women on July 14, Shafilea Ahmed's birthday. (AdWeek)