Are you kidding me?

[veronica_rich]

Vonn Watch: Sports Illustrated Cover is Predictable | Women Talk Sports | The first online blog network for women's sports

I see the fandom "feminist" mindset has invaded the real world at last ...

Ladies: If you're going to lose your shit over something SI does, MAKE IT THE GODDAMN ANNUAL SWIMSUIT ISSUE. This woman is in a pose similar to the one she adopts to do her job. She's not a whore or anything of questionable character - she's an athlete, fully clothed, in full equipment (except for goggles, I would think), smiling wholesomely. YOU are the one making it about her being a woman; I see it as her being featured as an athlete. It's obviously a camera pose, but while I'm no skiier, I have watched enough winter sports to know that is how you look when you're doing it.

/mutters about idiots expending their valuable political rage against shit that isn't worthy of it

When did things get so good for women in this country that this is all they can find to carp about? Are we up to equal pay and equal opportunity in jobs and education now? Full unquestioned reproductive rights? WOW!

Comments

[pktaxwench.livejournal.com]

I'v found that most 'feminists' that complain about such things do so because of their own insecurities. I bet that the creators of that website aren't anywhere as hot as Vonn and are jealous as hell that she can look that damn good in a skisuit.

Hell, I ski, like to think I'm hot, and *I* wouldn't be able to wear a ski suit like that. (Not to mention those skintight ski suits cost $500+ for a low end one....)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I don't know what the problem is. Honestly, I consider women like this as much the enemy of my interests as those who are anti-choice and men who want to hold us back. They trivialize the true purpose of feminism and pick at the most penny ante stuff to complain about - MY guess is they don't have the gumption to deal with genuine problems against women and girls, which are very hard to tackle, so this makes them feel like they're doing something.

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

bet that the creators of that website aren't anywhere as hot as Vonn and are jealous as hell that she can look that damn good in a skisuit.
Now this is the sort of comment that makes women in general look bad. Why should it matter if the "feminists" in question are deemed "hot" or not? If they are supposedly "not hot", does it follow that they are only upset because they're jealous? And if they are "hot" and made the comment anyway, does that give them a free pass to be stupid and get upset about trivial things?

[pktaxwench.livejournal.com]

No, I'm saying that I've found that everyone I know whose screamed "OMG, YOU'RE SEXUALIZING WOMEN!" has massive amounts of insecurity issues regarding their own self image and self worth. They project their own issues onto the media, particularly those who are successful exploiting their feminie assets. (They'd picket strip clubs in my college town, as well as high schoolers doing fundraiser car washes in bikinis, for example.) The nutcase who wrote the website is probably the same type as everyone I know personally.

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

Well, call me old-school, but they've got a point.
I used to live in a fairly sleazy neighbourhood so I *know* there's nothing empowered about strippers and hookers, particularly the latter. Even in a decent neighbourhood we had some guy in our building who had teenaged hookers come to his door all the time (ordering in, you know). Those girls were the opposite of knowledgeably "exploiting their feminine assets".

It's also a fact that exploiting "feminine assets" has never done anything to advance women's basic human rights, end domestic abuse and sexual exploitation.

high schoolers doing fundraiser car washes in bikinis
If I were the parents of those high-schoolers, I'd be PISSED at whatever organization allowed that on so many levels I don't know where to begin.

[caniad.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm mystified over people making a stink about this. Have they never seen Vonn -- or anyone else, for that matter -- ski? That's the position.

I'm a little more offended by the phrase "America's best woman skier ever" down at the bottom. It's almost a compliment that's equally an insult. Girl can probably outski a slope full of men. Let's just call her one of America's best skiers ever...period.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Yep. Again, I wouldn't have a problem if the objection was to the wording under the photo or something in the article making her out to be any less of an athlete than men doing the same thing. But this?

[xenafox.livejournal.com]

Ahh, feminists. So cute in their anger you just wanna reach out and pinch their little cheeks.

About that cover...my thoughts are pretty much echoed by what my boyfriend wrote on his LJ, not sure what that says about me:

I'm pretty sure that whatever pose you put an attractive athlete in, she'll be eye-fucked. Until they invent a sport that involves wearing a burka and doesn't involve strapping a bomb to ones self, the outrage will likely continue.

Although, to be fair, it really does look she's preparing to "take it" as the kids say.

And now I'm going to use my sexy Xena icon because I get a good thrill out of stamping it on any and all comments responding even vaguely to something involving feminists :D

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I intensely dislike these people being lumped in with serious feminists who are concerned with the equality of women's opportunities, and don't screw around with nonexistent offenses, realizing there are actual fights to be had (even in media critique, this isn't worth a dissertation!).

I realize there's a difference between men thinking a woman's attractive and vice versa; there's a power differential. But the fact is, there are pretty people on both sides, and I don't think you have to make someone ugly to make them professional.

(And yes. I HAVE ogled Michael Phelps in his Speedo.)

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

And yes. I HAVE ogled Michael Phelps in his Speedo.
Yes, Ian Thorpe's "thorpedo" just didn't measure up. And then there's Alexandre Despatie:

[xenafox.livejournal.com]

I probably have a strange mindset, in regards to the er..."feminist lumping". Weird phrasing, I know...

I tend to assign feminist to the extreme bitches, even if I know it means EVERYONE who is for equal rights. Labeling issue. *shrugs*

You don't have to make people ugly for them to be professional, but I see what he's sayin. The oggling and eye-sexing will always happen, crying about this picture is a losing battle.

[justawench.livejournal.com]

I think it's a really interesting and dynamic photograph, and (perhaps because I'm not attracted to women) it doesn't strike me as sexual. I mean, yeah the outfit's tight and she's bending, but she's completely covered, on skis, and displaying the "USA" on her thigh. Would these feminists have been happier if she'd posed more typically facing the camera? Why then, we might be able to see her boobs encased in tight lycra or what if there was a hint of cameltoe? It would be the same complaint.

I didn't hear anybody crying that Stephen Colbert was being exploited when he was featured on the cover in a skin-tight speed skating suit! :P


Also: "they are more likely than not to be in sexualized poses and not in action" - is Vonn not in action? She appears to be skiing or at least on the verge of skiing down a hill. And since when is Beyonce (one of her two examples) an athlete? What sport would you have her doing on the cover?

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

She's a skiier; to photograph her, about the only other way to do it would be to capture her in actual action - which means she'd have her goggles on, moving, probably from a distance. If you want a close-up, they could've taken a straight-on photo - which, speaking as a photographer/journalist, is boring as hell.

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

To me, this is one of the varieties of faux feminism - like the people who hate gymnastics and figure skating and so on because the people who do it are young and short and do something that isn't stereotypically masculine, or a real "team sport".

On the other hand, I weigh this against the recent attack on all feminists (by some guy who didn't even the balls to put his name to it) in The National Post, which bills itself as "Canada's national newspaper". Twisted logic and statistics, etc so that feminists can be blamed for everything including and up to the downfall of civilization: “untold damage to families, our court systems, labour laws, constitutional freedoms and even the ordinary relations between men and women...Hiring quotas, diversity training, spousal and child support, higher taxes, universal daycare, state-run education.” Ah, the Evil that is public education!

As somebody pointed out: The Post wouldn’t dare publish that all men are rapists or that all Muslims are pants-exploding terrorists with flimsy proof. Yet, feminists can only be as good as their worst, most radical peers. So I'm inclined to try and judge these little outbursts of feminist idiocy for what they are, and not as representative of all feminists any more than the scum in charge of PETA represent all those in support of animal protection.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY. Not only is this "Vonn Watch" not representative of all feminists, it's not even representative of FEMINISM. (Why do you think I put the quote marks around it?)

There are assholes on both sides. You cite one from the men's side; I cite one from the women's. Maybe they should get together, because the one thing they clearly seem to have in common is they love to ogle beautiful women in tight outfits who are bent over.

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

they love to ogle beautiful women in tight outfits who are bent over
Like the British athlete with the split spandex:


She's wearing a thong, presumably so her underwear doesn't show, but I ask you: would panty lines not be preferable to this?

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Holy cats! Skiing with butt floss? EWWWWWWWWW uncomfortable.

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

And drafty!

[bellumed.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha, what? She's skiing! XD

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I know it. You know it. I presume she knows it. Maybe the Vonn Watch people don't know what skiing looks like? XP

[elibad.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm supposed to take these twits seriously? A woman's sports blog, great! Except they have fishing on the main menu but hockey is tucked up under skating, what the ever loving fuck???!? Also, woman's sports blog, I don't think Dion Phanuef was proud of his brother for body checking Haley Wickenheiser, just that, ya know, he's proud of this little brother, there is no misogyny in that. And Haley doesn't need you to defend her, she's out there doing, not sitting around blogging, plus she can and will kick you ass, just ask Dion's little brother.

I hadn't seen the wank over this cover (I think it's awesome and she looks great). But I had seen this cover, the biggest difference, the sport they represent (and the uniform, which is exactly what it is fuckers, she ain't just flashing her goodies for the swimsuit edition). Well, that and the makeup they're wearing (Sid's a hockey player, dude has scars that need spackling to cover up). And honestly the whole ogling thing? Okay, so, Sid's twelve and all kinds of doofy looking, but man, I am such a sucker for those stupid little shorts, and that jersey...

My point being, shut the fuck up. SI has tonnes of covers almost identical to both of these, and they mostly only do it with the 'attractive athletes' (seriously, we probably won't ever see something similar for Alexander Ovechkin or Haley Wickenheiser, because while they may be good their sport, they ain't 'pretty').