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Elle prints secret breastfeeding cover, not available in stores

Elle Australia editor-in-chief Justine Cullen is defending sending out the magazine's June issue with model Nicole Trunfio breastfeeding her son only to subscribers, while putting out the magazine for newsstands with a different cover showing a fully-clothed Trunfio holding her sleeping baby.

In a letter published on the magazine's website Sunday, Cullen wrote, "In an ideal world no one would have an issue with seeing breastfeeding on the cover of a magazine. But it's not an ideal world."

There was a hugely positive response online to the breastfeeding cover, with sparked the hashtag #normalizebreastfeeding, but there was criticism of Cullen for not having the cover on newsstands too.

Cullen wrote that while the cover, quote, "enabled us to contribute to a necessary conversation around normalizing breastfeeding and why that's so important," she was worried about complaints possibly leading to the magazine being pulled from shelves or even having to put a sticker over Trunfio's breast.

She explained, "Supermarkets are where we make a large proportion of our sales. Not everyone walking through a supermarket is our target demographic, nor are they all going to be understanding of the message behind this cover," adding, "It's still my job to sell magazines."

If we're not willing to throw our entire business behind a message, does that mean we shouldn't make the statement at all? That seems extreme and redundant to me. These are challenging times for magazines – we have to be smarter than ever, and more often than not that's going to mean taking less risks, making less of a statement. But that's boring. It means a lifetime of inoffensive rom-com starlets standing smiling in front of the camera in a sparkly dress under a pink masthead, because that's the formula that will most likely result in sales. That's not what ELLE is. I don't think that's what our reader wants. Our aim is to celebrate womanhood in all its forms, and – however we can – that's what we'll continue to do.  (Elle)

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