Have you ever wondered what Tyson Chandler looks like naked? How about Stephen Jackson? It’s okay; neither have I.
ESPN’s the Body Issue is an annual magazine that glorifies the perfect physiques of athletes we envy and admire. According to the magazine, “It’s okay to stare. That’s what The Body Issue is here for. Each year, we stop to admire the vast potential of the human form. To unapologetically stand in awe of the athletes who’ve pushed their physiques to profound frontiers. To imagine how it would feel to inhabit those bodies, to leap and punch and throw like a god. To … well, gawk. So go ahead; join us.”
Contrary to advertised, the Body Issue serves a completely different purpose. Instead of gawking with envy, you’ll gawk with sexual attraction and desire. Instead of wondering what it would feel like to inhabit their athletic bodies, you’ll wonder what it feels like to…well, engage with their bodies. After gawking the furthest thing from your mind would be imagining how it feels to “leap and punch and throw like a god.” The sexual fantasies that you once had about Ronda Rousey, Serena Williams, and Hope Solo have resurfaced and you’re back to being sexually obsessed with their bodies.
Nudity sells, but nude women sell even more. As much as ESPN aims to deny it, sexual attraction is the main reason why the Body Issue is so popular. In 2012 the beautiful Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker graced the cover of the issue. Although she’s a mother, she didn’t let that stop her from showing the world her goods; her daughter Lailaa actually inspired her to do the photo shoot.
Parker says, “The last time I was on the cover [in 2009], I was pregnant, so it’s nice to see the body transform.” Celebrating giving birth, dropping baby weight, and getting back to the sexy slender size you once were is indeed an accomplishment that every woman should celebrate. But should a mother celebrate a milestone by posing nude on the cover of a magazine? Parker believes so. As one of the few mothers to pose for the Body Issue one would assume she would be more like MMA fighter and actress Gina Carano and pose with clothes on, but Parker opted out.
Even Parker’s grandmother questioned her decision to pose nude. “My grandmother was like ‘you’re gonna be nude on a magazine? What kind of magazine is this?’ you know and I told her it was ESPN and she was like ‘oh okay it should be tastefully done then.’” Should the type of magazine matter when nudity is involved?
MMA fighter Ronda Rousey decided to pose nude for the 2012 issue of the Body, but turned down the opportunity to pose for Playboy Magazine. What’s the difference between the Body Issue and Playboy Magazine? There is no difference. Nudity is nudity no matter how creatively it’s presented to the world.
There seems to be a double standard within the female community; athletic women can pose nude but other women can’t. If a woman poses for King, Smooth, or BlackMen wearing a bikini, she’s degraded and negatively labeled. But if Los Angeles Sparks Forward Candace Parker poses completely nude for ESPN magazine, she’s glorified and even her grandmother approves.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with admiring the body of an athlete; admiring their perfection inspires and motivates us to be better athletes, and to be healthier. But just because I think Jose Reyes is attractive, and I want abs like Serena Williams, doesn’t mean I want to see them naked on the cover of a magazine.
