To highlight the injustice of honor killings, Cosmopolitan UK has debuted a shocking cover for its February issue that shows a woman suffocating in plastic.
The powerful image was created by Leo Burnett Change and references the horrific 2004 honor killing of 17-year-old British Pakistani woman Shafilea Ahmed by her parents, after she refused an arranged marriage.
Honor killings are especially prevalent in Muslim countries and are typically carried out by a person on a family member, usually a woman, who is perceived as having brought shame upon the family.
The arresting image will run on limited edition versions of the magazine, and is part of a campaign to raise awareness of honor killings by UK-based charity Karma Nirvana, which is dedicated to helping victims of such violence.
It is accompanied by a seven second online film that shows the plastic wrapping being ripped apart, to symbolize women breaking free from violence.
Cosmopolitan UK and Karma Nirvana are partnering with the Henry Jackson Society to organize the inaugural Day of Memory for Britain’s Lost Women, to be held on 14 July, the birth date of Ahmed.
What do you think of the cover?
[via Adweek]