Lindsey Vonn, Being Sexually Exploited?

I saw this pic a few days ago, and I must admit, I did think it might rise an eyebrow or two. However, I've just now read a blog post on Vesa Koivunen's blog about the uproar it's causing. It seems some people think it's objectifying Vonn's appearance rather than focusing on her skill as a world champion skier.

Well, first off it's a downhill pose, granted you wouldn't be smiling at the camera, without a helmet, and they don't look like downhill polls but the pose is somewhat correct. I think a big problem is the way humans usually process covers of magazines. We're used to seeing a persons head amidst the banner but in this case, it's Lindsy Vonn's bottom that graces that area, so the focus is instantly drawn to that part of her. Was the image chosen for this reason? Probably. You don't have to be a cynical bastard to think that. Even if we ignore the notion of being that way to make it look sexual it was definitely there to grab peoples attention. The question is whether there is something wrong and unfair about it. We must look for other clues. What about the article headline: "America's Best Woman Skier". Not having read the article I can only assume it means "best" as "most victorious" and not "best something else". Does this indicate an innocent slant on the cover image, or a sly attempt to cover all bases?

I think we must give Lindsy Vonn some credit for being able to control the portrayal of her image as a woman and an athlete. The real question is: does she, as a world class athlete, have a responsibility to maintain the well being of women's rights all the time. I think it's a lot to ask; she's a skier not a freedom fighter. And if it were her obligation, is she failing at it? She certainly likes the limelight, is that wrong?

I find it surprising the level of interest this has caused. "Glamor Shots" for want of a better phrase, have long been a part of female skiing as well athletics in general. Take a look at the image of German skier Maria Riesch, who is currently ranked No. 2 behind Vonn. This is far more "raunchy" but is it exploitative? She was elected the Lange Girl for 2009, a title which is usually involves wearing ski-boots and not much else. She willingly posed for the shot; a gun wasn't put to her head. Personally I think the whole glamor part of skiing is very tacky and do all I can to avoid it, but does it cause me mental anguish; no. I no longer worry about it being right or wrong.

The one thing I do hate though, is when sports commentators refer to female athletes as "girls". It just sounds so derogatory. I don't like it, nor do I even like the term "ladies" when referring to female disciplines. It just sounds overly polite to the point of being patronising, like a shop assistant explaining to their boss about an unruly female customer: "Oh this lady appears to be having a shit attack." Mind you, it's a hell of a lot better than "girls" [feck, drink, arse... comes to mind].

Those who have a problem with the Sports Illustrated cover probably shouldn't visit here, and if they did I wonder what they'd make of it. I didn't mean to write this much, I've rambled on... I'll include one last pic to see what you think though.

This is British alpine skier, Chemmy Alcott, grabbing the boobs off American skier Julia Mancuso, at the end of season Verbier High-Five competition. Is this exploitative? Is this derogatory? Is this "wrong"? What about Julia Mancuso's website banner, hows that for objectification? I'm not being facetious, I honestly can't say for certain, I would be dubious of anyone who can.

As you've probably noticed, I haven't given a personal opinion on the cover yet and that's because I don't have one. I don't know anything about the magazine, maybe it's usually filled with pictures of naked female curling stars and greased up bobsleighers, I can only go on the cover and I see too many sides to it. The title of the article seems to be about her career but it is still a cover of a magazine, so cynically speaking, an editor will always try to make it as "eye candy'ish" as possible.

It's a picture of a woman bending over, if you think it's suggestive, then it is; if you don't, then it isn't. She's a downhill/super-g champion, if her main discipline was slalom or something, then that would be a whole different story as it would be odd to represent her in a downhill posture. The people who are running around with pitch forks and fire about this should ask themselves how would they design the cover given the variables involved. Simple fact is: no matter what picture of Lindsy Vonn they used, a large section of the planets populous (both men and women) would judge her on her appearance and looks alone, thats just the way it is. Finally, Vonn herself, finds all the controversy very surprising.

[Followup post about Iranian Alpine Skier Marjan Kalhor]