Amanda Beard to appear in Playboy (Page 3)

I gotta go home, so just one more thought from me...

[rant]

Consider the effect on boys in this environment. This crap is everywhere. The only way to keep them away from it is to go live on an isolated island somewhere.

Now consider that in the middle of this hyper sexual stimulation that they get, particularly teenagers, you are trying to teach them to respect women and to see women as the unique person that they are, a person deserving of dignity and respect.

So if anyone out there is a father of girls, ya gotta understand that this crap makes it way harder to teach boys that.  Ultimately, it's still my responsibility but the job is just much harder.

For example, maybe some kids are interested in finding a healthy outlet for their energy, instead of going down some other roads they could go down. They think triathlons may be just the thing. They find this fantastic site full of supportive people. And even here, they get bombarded with this stuff. After a while, if I'm a kid I gotta figure that it must be a good thing.

And maybe ya'll agree with them that it's a good thing. [/rant]

have a good evening everyone...

I respect your opinion Don, I just don't think that pic signals the fall of the empire. 

my own little response rant:  YOU have to raise your kids with values that YOU want to instill.  They are going to see stuff you don't want them to see.  It is up to YOU to explain it to them.  If YOUR child ends up doing somethign that is contrary to YOUR moral ethos, it is YOUR responsibility.  Are you saying you can't explain this to your daughters?  I know you're smarter than that.  Hell, even Jim, with his beautiful wife and daughter, doesn't seem to have a problem with it

There are rules in place.  The shops won't sell your kids Playboy.  Certain content can't be shown at certain hours.  It's up to YOU to make sure they don't get it, hang out with kids that might give it to them, etc.  YOU have to have internet nanny and  a V chip.  The adults that would like to this this content -- whether they be healthy, fully realized adults enjoying iimages of the opposite sex  or porn addicts -- shouldn't have to cater to the needs to protect your kids.

Same with Imus, Stern, porn, R rated movies, and, back in your parents' day, Elvis the Pelvis.

Hey, I am not saying it's easy.  I think equating that pic with the evils you list is a bit shrill. 

But I'm not telling you anything you don't already know

Have a great night

wait, are some of you saying that THAT pose is not much different than a picture of her racing in her tri-clothes? Are you kidding me?

Look at her vapid eyes, the idiotic look on her face, the intentional arching of her back and legs spread towards the viewer, the way she is offering a tiny bit of her verboten areas with the suggestion that there is much more to see...  This is woman as object, as fantasy, as symbol...

Show me any picture of a woman in her sports clothing/activity where she is object vs. subject... 

I am not going to get into a debate about the porn industry, freedom of expression and press vs. moral decency, or how my view of feminism colors my thoughts on it, but I will loudly proclaim that this photo is absolutely the undoing of my respect for her as an athlete and role model for young people. Shame on her.  

who said that?

All this discussion.  Sheesh.

Can't we just say THANK YOU and be done with it? 

Clearing up some factual errors:

A couple of you are refering to Ms. Beard as a triathlete...she's not. Amanda is a retired swimmer, (breastroker--hush) who won 7 Olympic medals (2 gold) over 3 Olympic games ('96-'04) and is the former world record holder in the 200m breaststroke.  There's some talk that she may come back in an effort to make the '08 Olympic team.

Carry on. 

Dude, I'm not the one getting all holier-than-CoJ about trivial posts. I'm not the one inferring that posts need not be trivial - this is Cup of Joe after all and not Cup of Wall Street Journal. Come on - you referring to this thread as trivial is like Liberace complaining that Johnny Cash is too flashy.

But HELLYEAH I'd put up my posts to yours anyday when it comes to substance and even shitsngiggles.

I get why people are upset over the objectification of woman. I get why those that really appreciate the female form (nude or clothed) think it's not a huge deal. I'm somewhere in between.

There are women I respect and women I don't. Her I don't, but I don't really understand the vehemence her posing has created. Is it because she's an athlete? A role model?

Just curious: I am single and not currently dating - is it a sin for me to look at her picture and think impure thoughts?

So then why did you click on and open a thread called "Amanda Beard to appear in Playboy", shouldn't you have ignored it and carried on?

Neither does shoving a digital camera down your pants and emailing the pictures to your friends.

This is based on the assumption that all teenaged girls are sweet, innocent little things and all teenaged boys are evil. You don't think the fact that there are girls out there that are giving it away for free contributes to this stuff? And don't give me this "society is corrupting our youth" crap. These days, I feel safer with my daughter in her public school environment than with a Catholic priest. I say that every teenage boy should be given a free subscription to the porn magazine of his choice. Know why? They'll look at it, get all worked up, then go and lock the bathroom. I'd much rather have teenage boys going through the self-service lane than trying to satisfy themselves by going after my daughter.

Why can't a woman show off her goods, yet still be a respected, accomplished, non-trivialized member of society? What's with the societal Madonna- complex? Can we not be overtly sexy sexy, yet still worthy of respect?

OK, I think the article is dumb. Yeah, everyone knows that Playboy is a highly respected publication (do I actually have to bust out the sarcasm font). But I still think that a woman should be able to  make her own choices with regard to her own life and her own circumstances without judgement being passed constantly by every bystander with an a$$hole opinion.

Besides. She's hot. Why the hell not?

I don't oppose her posing; that's her business. But I do have a reaction, as does everyone on this thread. It's natural that the men's elated reaction is relative to the prospect of ogling her exposed breasts and vajayjay. My reaction, on the other hand, is relative to her choices as a person. What would possess an accomplished woman to expose herself to the world? She has morphed from athlete, judged on her achievements, to a commodity, judged by her ability to sell magazines. As someone said, selling yourself is the American Way. But she doesn't have to make that choice.

My 18YO niece was in an Italian music video, mostly as a lark. On the one hand, I think "Yay, cool for her - if that's what she wants." On the other hand, I thought "OHDEARLORDPLEASEDON'TLETTHOSEVILEPIGSGETTHEIRSKANKYHANDSONHER!" And I didn't want to see her doing any simulated sex acts/dance (she didn't) or get involved in sex/drugs/rock 'n roll lifestyle. She has a fantastic future in design/fashion in front of her; her achievements will lie in the clothes she designs. She doesn't need to make herself a commodity to be an accomplished woman. Oh yeah - the guy who directed the music video asked her if she wanted to be in more videos or tv shows - she thanked him but said she was too busy with school. Atta girl, Katia!