Breasts have long been a ubiquitous accessory of James Bond's. But now, the relationship between the secret agent and his favorite co-stars seems to have matured.Pierce Brosnan appears on the cover of the December issue of Redbook with his significant other, Keely Shaye Smith, who just happens to be breast-feeding their son, Dylan Thomas.
Redbook editor in chief Kate White tells USA Today that the couple, who have not yet seen the magazine, may be "surprised" that "we were gutsy enough to do it."
Increasing sales through controversial cover shots is nothing new, as witnessed from Demi Moore posing nude and very pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair several years back, but White insists the photograph was selected because it was "the most beautiful of them as a family unit."
And even though White is confident that the photo won't offend readers, the breast-feeding cover will only be available on newsstands--subscribers will get a non-breast-feeding shot.
The cover arrives just in time to promote Tomorrow Never Dies, Brosnan's latest turn as the suave superagent, which hits theaters on December 19.
'REDBOOK' COVER GOES NATURAL"They may be surprised to see that we were gutsy enough to do it," laughs Redbook editor-in-chief Kate White about the magazine's December cover couple, Pierce Brosnan, 44, and Keely Shaye Smith.
Photographed by a friend, Greg Gorman, the cover shot of Shaye Smith breast-feeding the couple's son, Dylan Thomas, was "the most beautiful of them as a family unit," says White, who adds, "it wasn't because she was breast-feeding that I picked it." Brosnan and Shaye Smith, who haven't seen the magazine yet, were not available to comment. White says she heard echoes of the Deborah Norville flap while making the decision. A photo of Norville breast-feeding her son in People magazine caused a huge furor in 1991.
"I think, even in a few years, we've become more accepting," White says, confident "readers don't be bent out of shape." Still, magazine execs opted to put the image on newsstand copies only. Redbook subscribers (about two-thirds of its readership) will get a nonbreast-feeding shot. Those slightly older readers, White says, are sometimes concerned about kids seeing the images.
Redbook readers are due to get an eyeful: The cover of the mag's December issue displays actress Keely Shaye Smith breast-feeding her new son, Dylan Thomas, while papa Pierce Brosnan looks on. Despite the furor that a People photo of breast-feeding Deborah Norville uncorked in 1991, Redbook editor Kate White says she has heard no complaints so far. Still, only newsstands will feature the mammo-cover; subscribers will get a tamer shot.
Redbook magazine is not usually stocked next to Playboy and Penthouse in stores. But with a bold new cover featuring a candid shot of a woman breast-feeding, at least one big store chain says that's where it may end up.The December cover of the women's title features an elegant shot of the latest James Bond, actor Pierce Brosnan, posed with actress Keely Shaye Smith and their son, Dylan Thomas. Smith is shown breastfeeding Dylan. While the feature story inside is about Brosnan and his quest to find love after the death of first wife Cassandra Harris, the Southland Corp. -- which runs hundreds of 7-Eleven stores nationwide -- says it's going to take a second, hard look at the cover when the magazine is delivered.
And a spokeswoman said the chain reserves the right to put Redbook under the counter — where it keeps Playboy and Penthouse.
"We don't want to be in a position of censoring anything," Southland spokeswoman Margaret Chabris said, "but if a store operator finds [a customer] objects, he or she can put it behind the counter."
Down south, the Winn Dixie supermarket chain also is nervously awaiting the shipment of Redbook to its 1,185 stores nationwide.
"We'll look at it," said Winn Dixie vice president Mickey Clerc. "We don't always know what type of things our customers will react to. Some things are blatant. I don't know about this one."
Redbook editor Kate White anticipated a reaction to the shot by printing a second cover of Brosnan, Smith and Dylan without the breast-feeding. That version went to the magazine's home subscribers -- but not big store chains -- and it's the first time the title has used a so-called split cover.
"I didn't want to force it on people who might be uncomfortable with it," White said, adding that the average age of Redbook subscribers is late 30s to early 40s while the average newsstand reader tends to be younger -- in their 20s or 30s. As for the stores, she said: "I'd be surprised if there is any flak. It's much tamer than most Cosmopolitan covers." In fact, she added, some subscribers have called to complain -- that they're not getting the first cover. Meanwhile, La Leche League, a nonprofit group that encourages women to breast-feed, blasted Southland's stance.
"Why should [Redbook] be in that category?" asked spokeswoman Mary Lofton. "Nurturing a baby is totally unrelated to what Playboy and Penthouse are marketing. Breast-feeding is a mother giving food to their infants."
PORTRAIT OF A FAMILYRedbook magazine was antsy about how subscribers would react if a cover featuring Pierce Brosnan and his girlfriend Keely Shaye Smith as she breast-fed their son landed on their doorsteps. So the magazine put out two different covers. The December issue to hit newsstands will show the breast-feeding photo, while subscribers will get a picture of the couple simply holding the baby, Dylan Thomas. The magazine's editor in chief, Kate White, said the breast-feeding shot, like, really MOVED her. Said she: ``There's such tenderness in the photo and it grabs you.'' She added that she didn't think readers would ``be bent out of shape,'' noting that since the flap over a similar shot of Deborah Norville in a 1991 People mag, ``we've become more accepting.''
Clothes make the magazine: Two out of three Americans prefer fully clothed figures to nudes in works of art, says Marie-Claire magazine. Perhaps with that in mind, the latest issue of Redbook has been printed with two covers. One, for newsstands, shows Pierce Brosnan watching Kelly Shaye Smith nursing their new son; the other, for subscribers, shows them all buttoned up. Can that be considered suckling up to longtime readers?
You've seen breasts. Now you can see breast-feeding.The newsstand cover of the December issue of Redbook features actor Pierce Brosnan watching his girlfriend, Keely Shaye Smith, nursing their son, Dylan Thomas.
Another cover, which is being mailed to the 2.1 million subscribers of the venerable women's magazine, shows Mommy, Daddy and Baby more or less buttoned up.
``It's interesting. We're just hitting the newsstands now. Some subscribers have called wanting the newsstand copy,'' Editor in Chief Kate White told The Post's Dana Hull. Those who request one will receive the ``other'' issue, White said.
Although it's not uncommon in the magazine business, this is the first time that Redbook - created in 1903 - has published different covers. ``I remember when I was breast-feeding, some people felt awkward about it,'' White said. ``But I really just loved the picture. I reacted viscerally to the shot.''