Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, announced on Tuesday that it was pulling Cosmopolitan magazine from its checkout aisles.
The decision comes in the midst of the #MeToo moment when the nation is weighing how to properly respond to the pervasive culture of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Walmart said the decision was primarily based on business metrics but did admit that concerns raised by outside groups played a role, according to CNN.
"As with all products in our store, we continue to evaluate our assortment and make changes. Walmart will continue to offer Cosmopolitan to customers that wish to purchase the magazine, but it will no longer be located in the checkout aisles," Walmart said in a statement.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation applauded the move on Tuesday. The group's executive director, Dawn Hawkins, said it was an "incremental but significant step toward creating a culture where women and girls are valued as whole persons, rather than sexual objects."
Hawkins even compared Cosmopolitan to Playboy, saying that both played into a culture that devalued and objectified women.
"Cosmo sends the same messages about female sexuality as Playboy," Hawkins said. "It places women’s value primarily on their ability to sexually satisfy a man and therefore plays into the same culture where men view and treat women as inanimate sex objects."
"We are grateful for Walmart’s cooperation and for Walmart leadership’s recognition that corporations must do their part to change #MeToo culture," Hawkins added.