Posing for a men's magazine, the actress who is now leading the campaign against 'sexist' titles Romola Garai has backed a campaign calling for Tesco to stop selling 'sexist' lads' mags The Hour actress is pictured posing in lingerie for the men's title, Esquire Miss Garai has admitted she may have been 'part of the problem' By Neil Sears She's the public school-educated actress who has lent her name to the battle against "sexist" lads" magazines. But Romola Garai hasn't always found racy images of women so upsetting. These pictures, taken a decade ago for the upmarket men's publication Esquire, show how she was happy to cavort for the cameras in little more than lingerie and stockings. The pictures, taken ten years ago, reveal a different side to the actress who describes herself as a feminist The actress has admitted that in the past she may have been 'part of the problem' when it comes to magazines she considers 'inherently sexist' While she readily admits she was once part of "the problem," the 31-year-old star of BBC period drama The Hour now wants to be part of the solution. The double Golden Globe award nominee is backing a campaign calling for Tesco to stop selling magazines such as Zoo and Nuts. In a newspaper interview for the Lose the Lads" Mag campaign, in which she was pictured with hardly any make-up and a baggy T-shirt with an anti-sexist slogan, she spoke of her concern about the "pornographic" images in such publications. Romola has backed a campaign calling for Tesco to stop selling lads' mags such as Nuts and Zoo Miss Garai, whose acting roles also include films Atonement and One Day, said she worried about "the kind of ideas they sow in younger minds, and the fact that it normalises sexism on such an enormous scale." She also said women had no right to profit by posing for such pictures. In a possible reference to her Esquire shoot, the London-based actress added: "I am very aware that I have at times in my career been part of the problem and not part of the solution and as I have got older I have tried to correct that. But it is very difficult because I believe the media in this country is inherently sexist. And so if you do a job which involves you interacting with it, that does inevitably lead to some difficult choices, and I am sure that very often I haven't made the right choice. And regardless of any hypocrisy she might be accused of, Miss Garai declared defiantly: "I'm a feminist, and saying I am feminist has only ever helped me and helped my life. I would encourage anybody to say they are a feminist because I don't think it should exclude people. All it ever says is that we want everyone to be treated the same. How can you not sign up to that? Miss Garai, who was born in Hong Kong to English parents, gave birth to a daughter by actor boyfriend Sam Hoare in March this year. Soon afterwards she raised eyebrows when she gave a graphic speech at the Bafta awards about the stitches she required on the maternity ward. Miss Garai has said the figure-hugging dresses she wore for her role in the Fifties newsroom drama The Hour were chosen to add sex appeal And despite her stand against the sexism of lads" magazines, she recognises that the figure-hugging dresses she wore for 50s newsroom drama The Hour, in which she starred with Dominic West, were largely chosen not for historical accuracy, but to add sex appeal. Miss Garai could not be contacted last night, and her agents did not respond to questions about her past. Tomorrow, campaign members are holding a meeting in Parliament to call for an outright promise from Tesco that they will no longer stock the two lads" magazines.