Asian Babes
Encyclopedia
Asian Babes is a British
pornographic magazine
which features depictions of women of South Asia
n, Chinese
, Japanese
, and Thai
origin.
The magazine was owned by Richard Desmond
's Northern and Shell publishing company until its sale in 2004 as part of a package of 45 titles to Remnant Media
for a reported £20 million (approximately US$39 million).
in the United Kingdom which led to its publishing a range of adult titles, Asian Babes among them.
In addition to the adult titles, Northern and Shell was also publishing the celebrity magazine OK!
when Desmond purchased the Express Newspapers group in 2000. The Express group included the Daily Express
, its sister the Sunday Express, and the Daily Star. In 2004 he sought acquisition of additional "mainstream" publications — The Spectator
and The Daily Telegraph
, along with its sister publication The Sunday Telegraph. He was unsuccessful in his bid for The Telegraph, losing out to David and Frederick Barclay
, who had long sought to own the paper.
The BBC Online piece also reported that Desmond had borrowed £97 million (approximately US$190 million) for the Express group purchase and that while profitable, the portfolio only generated about £20 million (approximately US$39 million) in revenue each year. There were also concerns that some investors were reluctant to invest in porn, and that the market for such magazines was changing. (Interestingly, when Asian Babes was sold in 2004, the Bank of Scotland
later issued an apology for having loaned £5 million (US$9.8 million) to the buyer, Remnant Media.)
, a columnist for Independent
in London, England, characterized Desmond as "the seedy porn baron who gives this nation Mega Boobs and Asian Babes and other yuck and muck". The column criticized the way in which Desmond had made use of the Daily Express; Alibhai-Brown's column wasn't focused on Desmond's publishing activities with regard to porn; she went on to say: "Actually, I am less bothered about the porn mags than many.... I made myself look at Asian Babes and it is true that the 'babes' themselves look exceedingly full of life, not pushed into any of the poses".
Information about Desmond's ownership of Asian Babes and other adult magazines was included in a BBC Online 2004 profile which spoke to the controversy surrounding his ownership of "top-shelf" (pornographic) magazines at the same time he was attempting to purchase The Daily Telegraph.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazines, sometimes known as adult magazines, sex magazines or top-shelf magazines are pornographic magazines that contain content of a sexual nature. Adult magazines are mainly aimed towards men, and in some parts of the world, many men's first sight of a naked woman has been in an...
which features depictions of women of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n, Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, and Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
origin.
The magazine was owned by Richard Desmond
Richard Desmond
Richard Clive Desmond is an English publisher and businessman. He is the owner of Express Newspapers and founder in 1974 of Northern & Shell, which publishes various celebrity magazines, such as OK! and New!, and British national newspapers Daily Star and Daily Express...
's Northern and Shell publishing company until its sale in 2004 as part of a package of 45 titles to Remnant Media
Remnant Media
Remnant Media was a British company which published a variety of pornographic magazines.On 1 March 2004 Richard Desmond's company Northern and Shell sold a package of 45 titles, for about £20m, to Remnant Media in order to help reshape Desmond's image as part of his strategy to bid for The Daily...
for a reported £20 million (approximately US$39 million).
Other publications
In 1983, Northern and Shell obtained the license to publish PenthousePenthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
in the United Kingdom which led to its publishing a range of adult titles, Asian Babes among them.
In addition to the adult titles, Northern and Shell was also publishing the celebrity magazine OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
when Desmond purchased the Express Newspapers group in 2000. The Express group included the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
, its sister the Sunday Express, and the Daily Star. In 2004 he sought acquisition of additional "mainstream" publications — The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
and The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, along with its sister publication The Sunday Telegraph. He was unsuccessful in his bid for The Telegraph, losing out to David and Frederick Barclay
David and Frederick Barclay
Sir David Rowat Barclay and Sir Frederick Hugh Barclay are British businessmen. The identical twin brothers have very substantial business interests primarily in media, retail and property. The Sunday Times Rich List of 2007 estimated their wealth at £1.8 billion...
, who had long sought to own the paper.
Sale
Asian Babes, along with other titles such as Readers' Wives, was part of Desmond's "portfolio" of soft-porn magazines which was offered for sale in 2001 in order to provide cash to invest in the then newly-acquired Express Newspapers group. An article in BBC Online reported that some would view the sale as an attempt to distance himself from the pornography business. The piece went on to say that most analysts believed it to be only a financial move as The Fantasy Channel, Northern and Shell's adult cable channel, wasn't included in the sale.The BBC Online piece also reported that Desmond had borrowed £97 million (approximately US$190 million) for the Express group purchase and that while profitable, the portfolio only generated about £20 million (approximately US$39 million) in revenue each year. There were also concerns that some investors were reluctant to invest in porn, and that the market for such magazines was changing. (Interestingly, when Asian Babes was sold in 2004, the Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
later issued an apology for having loaned £5 million (US$9.8 million) to the buyer, Remnant Media.)
Controversy
Desmond's ownership of the porn magazines was often criticized and frequently used to bolster criticism of his business practices. Yasmin Alibhai-BrownYasmin Alibhai-Brown
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown MBE is a Ugandan-born British journalist and author, who describes herself as a "leftie liberal, anti-racist, feminist, Muslim, part-Pakistani...a very responsible person"...
, a columnist for Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
in London, England, characterized Desmond as "the seedy porn baron who gives this nation Mega Boobs and Asian Babes and other yuck and muck". The column criticized the way in which Desmond had made use of the Daily Express; Alibhai-Brown's column wasn't focused on Desmond's publishing activities with regard to porn; she went on to say: "Actually, I am less bothered about the porn mags than many.... I made myself look at Asian Babes and it is true that the 'babes' themselves look exceedingly full of life, not pushed into any of the poses".
Information about Desmond's ownership of Asian Babes and other adult magazines was included in a BBC Online 2004 profile which spoke to the controversy surrounding his ownership of "top-shelf" (pornographic) magazines at the same time he was attempting to purchase The Daily Telegraph.