So here is the much-talked about Dazed & Confused cover which has been banned in seven countries because it shows Azealia Banks posing with an inflated raspberry pink condom between her lips like she's puffing on a huge cigarette/cigar - along with the cover line, 'Azealia Banks Blows Up'.
Photographed by Sharif Hamza and styled by Karen Langley, I'm clueless as to why this cover has caused so much controversy??? - we know Banks likes to put things in her mouth suggestively (see screenshot of hotdog from the Rankin-directed "Liquorice" video below, which should've come with a 'Don't try this in Ikea' warning).
She's also made a name for herself as a result of her overtly self-assured, provocative and often-explicit lyrical style, always delivered with bold, brash attitude - so risqué is her middle name. But that didn't stop Singapore, Dubai, Malta, Switzerland, India and Thailand banning the cover.
So back to that pose, which I've seen many a time on the Northern Line on a Friday night when all the teenage girls screeching and full of too many flavoured ciders are released. This is just a bit of cheeky fun from Dazed & Confused who are renowned for their agenda-setting, influential and ground-breaking fashion editorial and photography.
As Editor Rod Stanley said, "I knew this cover would be talked about, but didn't expect a confident, young woman posing with an inflated condom to cause this much fuss. It's funny that in a world where extreme images are so accessible, someone posing with something that is used for safe sex is what we get worked up about."
Exactly. Well I'm un-shockable, probably much like the rest of you..... unless you're clutching your rosary beads and praying for me as you read this.
The magazine is out now on newsstands and you can see more images from the Azealia Banks shoot HERE
Images © Sharif Hamza, Dazed & Confused, UMG 2012