Is Amanda Beard setting a bad example?....I'll have to take a look to judge :)

Great idea! Leave a copy of the magazine on your desk so your bodacious coworker gets a good look at it.

Your little girl is growing up so fast and she's just BEAUTIFUL!

I'm having deja vu.

I love Wednesday's.  Wait, it's Thursday....

Since you asked I say good for her.  I can't see how being self-confident could set a bad example.  It's not like she's dealing drugs or driving drunk.  My opinion is if people don't like it, they have the very simple option of not buying the magazine.

yes this is true anna nicole smith picked up where gloria steinem left off she really opened doors for todays young women i mean who wants to be a condoleeza rice or madeleine albright when you can skip all that edickation and hardwork and just get nekid and sell your photos to hornytoad men?

Ya know, the Tri Talk thread on this same subject has pictures.  I expected more from CoJ

just sayin'

Oh, and the answer is no. 

Well, since you probably won't want to talk to her about it until she is 30, you've got a while to think about it.

not to mention the paycheck

I posed nude for an art class in college.  What kind of example was I setting (except I those pictures were not on most newstands).  If I had the kind of body where someone wanted to pay a lot of money to pose nude...HECK YEAH!!

 Oh yeah, if my daugher one day wants to pose nude for an art class or magazine, what kind of hipocrite would I be if I told her not to?

If I were a woman and had the body to be chosen for Playboy I'd do it in a heartbeat.  Most of America seems to be so conservative about the body.  "how will this affect the kids?"  How about, "The human body is beautiful by design.  What you choose to do with it is your choice.  She chose to work hard at the goal of becoming a world class swimmer.  With hard work and dedication anything is possible."   Don't even have to go into the Playboy thing.  It's a footnote to the fact she busted her butt for a lot of years to get where she is and the shape of her body is a direct reflection of that.

Rant Mode On 

I understand exactly what he is talking about.  Triathlete Mag comes out with latest swimsuit issue "Oh yeah, there will be people who aren't happy with this - yada yada"  - Did not see ONE guy in the swimsuit issue modeling a skimpy speedo.  Nope.  MOST of the guys were wearing tri-top/tri-shorts.  NOT ONE WOMAN modeled a full tri-top/shorts combo.  MOST were modeling skimpy bikinis that you couldn't even really swim in - let alone do a triathlon in.

Then there's an ad for Xterra (or the article) can't remember right now - two guys running on beach, shoes/tri-top/tri shorts/hats/sunglasses looking like ATHLETES.  Alongside is a girl running - skimpy bikini - barefoot.  She had a good body (of course) but wasn't really presented as an athlete, that's for sure.

Something I'm getting really tired of.  Guys are presented in the mags (and not just triathlete mags) as serious, wearing serious gear and looking like they can race.  Women (i.e. last couple of issues of triathlete) are presented as look at her great body.  Yeah, they may be standing or sitting on a bike, but I don't think they really race in a string bikini that barely covers the relevant parts.  If they are athletes - present them as such, guy or girl.

Rant Mode Off

And NO - if she wants to pose for Playboy more power to her.

I actually don't care much about the issue one way or another.  There wasn't anything in triathlete magazine that I would feel embarassed about seeing my friends or family wearing.

Just thought I would point out though that although there were no guys in skimpy speedos (an obvious oversight since I actually see people race in these), there were four pages of women in full coverage suits.  One of the better shots was of one of the female triathletes in a speedo full dragon suit.

As to the issue of women not being presented as athletes in that particular publication...I have to say I have a hard time believing you read the magazine if you think this.  In the swimsuit issue neither men nor women were actually shown much as athletes (ie: doing anything athletic).  However, throughout the training articles and raceday coverage there are plenty of athlete shots of women racing and not much attention is paid to if the shot is flattering or not (which is the way it should be).

Yes triathlete magazine has a few pages of swimsuits...but in my opinion the shots were nowhere near as racy as the shots you'll find in cosmo, glamour, or most of the women's publications.  I have also seen both men and women racing in stuff that covers no more then what they were showing.

Just my perspective of course.

I'm not trying to pick a fight but I think it's safe to say she's been noticed long before this.