A year ago, almost to the day-- eesh, have I been posting here that long?!-- I wrote a post about the gender bias on SI. (Shameless self promotion moment: http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/153563-rant-si-and-gender-bias)
So it's Swimsuit Issue time again. With trepidation, I open my web browser. I don't know if my self esteem can handle this, but FanNation is one of my stress relievers, so I feel compelled. I position the arrow on my FanNation bookmark, close my eyes, and click. I open my right eye-- Danica Patrick, as tastefully done as objectifying a woman can be done. Not too bad, I think to myself. I open the other eye, and... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!
There she is-- a too-skinny, airbrushed chick with the "come hither" look, b.o.o.b.s. in my face just like last year, but this time she's wearing... MACRAMÉ. I swear, she has on a plant hanger from my grandmother's house. How does this qualify as a swimsuit? Who the hell can swim in that? And how is that photo not porn?
I scroll down the page, hoping to erase that image from my mind, and here's ANOTHER ad with ANOTHER too-skinny, airbrushed chick. At least THIS one is wearing a LITTLE bit more-- a sequined headband... oh yeah, that makes me feel SO much better... "Nothing that a rooftop and an AK-47 won't take care of."
Once again I will state that I know I am not the target audience, but it's not like I have options not to see it-- it's on EVERY stinking page! I have enough problems; I don't need to make my self esteem even worse by subconsciously comparing my looks to that every time I log on...
So here's my open letter to SI:
You really don't have to advertise the Swimsuit Issue; men around the world have the release date marked on their calendars. They argue about who should be on the cover, subscribe to SI JUST for this issue, and wait with bated breath for the mail to come once it's out. For those of us who are trying not to commit harakiri because we don't look like that and will NEVER look like that, I'm begging you. Just include a generic link saying, "It's Here!!" so those who want to ogle can and those who want to preserve SOME semblance of self worth can do that as well.
And BTW, the NCAA Women's Basketball page is STILL not up to par-- not as pathetic as it was, but it still sucks by comparison.
Chelsey Buhler
Cheney Larschied
Heisman Winners: Best NFL Careers
SI's Pictures of the Week
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Sorry sweetie, its just the way it is, sex sells! And I'm sorry, I really am not sexit, I respect women and believe they should have equal rights, but c'mon, NCAA womans b-ball is as relevant as the WNBA
NYGiants: Patrick…
Rockville Centre , NY
Total Comments (4205)
I'm aware that sex sells, but tell me you wouldn't protest just a little bit if every time you logged on, there was a photo of some **** guy's package in your face...
buck-i-girl
Total Comments (3036)
w e l l - h u n g
buck-i-girl
Total Comments (3036)
As a woman, I see your point....but honestly, the absence of swimsuit models on this site will not help to preserve your self-esteem or self-worth. I know I will never look like that, but I choose to accept that reality and move on....regardless of the existence of the banner, the pics, etc. Your happiness is in your own hands....if you choose to let it affect you that way, it always will. Life is all about choices.
Society has objectified women for years and yet somehow, we survived and thrived despite the best efforts of a few lame-brain males. Be happy, be confident.....those who are most important to you accept you for who you are, not a vision of what society feels you should look like. Those bikini-clad women don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, other than a distraction to the right hand of millions of guys. :-)
ATLfan15
Total Comments (877)
Make no mistake, I'm no frail little flower-- I argue football with ex-jocks on a sports site, for crying out loud, and many of them have avatars that are as bad as the photo on the left. I'm not going to have a breakdown over this. But I come here as an escape from ALL the stress and pressures, and that includes the societal pressure to be a 100 lb., 6' blonde with D cups.
My point is that just because you CAN show photos like that doesn't mean you SHOULD. As I said in my previous response, how many men would write in with, "DUDE! SERIOUSLY?!" If it was a well-oiled guy in a thong at the top of every page?
All I'm asking for is equitable (not even EQUAL) consideration...
buck-i-girl
Total Comments (3036)
The moaning certainly didn't help, either...
buck-i-girl
Total Comments (3036)
I heard moaning over here... boy was I disappointed to find out ot was just tnerb.
PSUinOutback?
Total Comments (10578)
I will attempt to craft a response for all of the lame-brain males:
uuuuuu.. bo0obies... huh huh. Woah! <drool>
And now for the rest of the males:
If I may differentiate... when a woman has her picture taken, knowing that the only purpose is to advertise for herself, her career, and a magazine; she acknowledges that her image will objectify her.... and only her, in my opinion.
I do not expect members of the general population to adhere to the image standards of professional models. I feel no expetation to run like Percy Harvin or throw like Cole Hamels or hit like Ray Lewis simply becuase I am male and I am viewing a sports-oriented website. They have their job and I have mine.
I don't cross-applicate the objectification and subsequently objectify our female contributors to these boards. Intelligent ladies such as B-i-G and ATLfan15 present themselves respectfully, so they are treated respectfully.
PSUinOutback?
Total Comments (10578)
Ah, yes, but you are not a typical clown... ;)
buck-i-girl
Total Comments (3036)
uuuuuu.....bo0obies....huh huh. Woah! <drool> That was classic PSU. B.i.G. I am sure there are a more than few guys on here that wouldn't mind coming on the page and see some dude in his face wearing a banana hammack. Not me but there has to be some. Personally I outgrew the swimsuit issue back around the time my voice got deeper and my you know whats dropped, but that is just me personally.
I don't care for Ohio St or the Big 10 in general, but you, PSU, PI, and Norka are some of the coolest Big 10 fans I know of. Keep on keeping on.
wildbill21475
East, TN
Total Comments (4803)
Thanks Bill-- back atcha...
buck-i-girl
Total Comments (3036)
What can any male say? We're victims of our evolutionary heritage. So are the femaies, actually. Hell, if I could make money with photographs of my body, I'd do it. But that's obviously counterfactual ...
My choice for a spouse wasn't dominated by my fantasies ... she's a person of substance. With a love for CFB and the blues, it seems you are, as well. I truly admire that ... but will continue to ogle the soft porn of SI swimsuit models. The message from that Y chromosome is inescapable on one level, but I'm not interested in a serious relationship with someone having nothing more than a model's body.
ThunderBoomer
Total Comments (907)
To straight men and lesbians, it's eye candy.
To straight women, it's an eyesore.
To gay men, it's more of a "why does anyone care about this?"
:)
buck-i-girl
Total Comments (3036)
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