General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Revealed. [View all]Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Men on the overs of sports illustrated are shown as active professionals in their element; on the field, in the water, acting their game;
They are portrayed as powerful, centered, active, and professionals who are doing things. There are some standard after-shoot touchups done of course, but the men's bodies are not altered or sculpted
Now compare to the swimsuit covers:
These women are not potrayed as athletes - no offense to Kate upton, but i think that would be a hard sell. They're models, which, hey, no issue there. The issue is in comparison. They are passive. They are posed, not active. They're not engaged with anything except the camera - and by proxy the person looking at the image. Notice too, how they're all either divested of a piece of the bikini or are in the process of removing it? They are presented not just as objects, but as offerings - presents that unwrap themselves, oh boy! The issues are about how much skin the magazine can show and still get an above-the-counter display. Gone are any sort of insightful articles about the sports world - it's butts, boobs, and thighs
I enjoy looking at beautiful women, I imagine most straight men do. I regard it as just a natural damn thing we do, to be honest. But it's important to recognize too when a woman's body is being sold to you as a molded, modeled, and modified product expressly for that. Not as a person but as a thing.