Men's Health and Fitness
Above we see Men's Fitness, which is advertised as "everything for every man." One of the biggest and clearest messages on the cover is "SHE HATES A GUT" and the smaller messages only serve to emphasize that if you're a man and you're not lean, fat-free and ripped, you'll never get or satisfy a woman. The messages imply that if you aren't fit enough, either your woman will leave or you'll never get one to begin with. An example of the woman you can get if you have a ripped body is Stacy Kiebler, who is dubbed "the coolest hot girl." It is interesting that the magazine features a woman on the front considering that it is a men's fitness magazine, however that supports the idea that objectifying, unrealistic images of women perpetuate insecurity in men not as then compare themselves to their male peers, but as they compare themselves to their male peers in relation to who women find more attractive. It is common thread in society that advertisements try to hook men by luring them with women. Not only is this cover bad for men's self-esteem, it also reinforced sexist ideologies. For example, Keebler is referred to here as a girl - and calling women girls is a common form of degradation, implying inferiority. Think about it, the same is true of when you call men "boys."
Recently a particularly rapey article titled "How to Turn A 'No' into a 'Yes'" graced the covers of Men's Fitness.
"Critics rightly protested the article on Twitter for perpetuating rape culture, a pervasive attitude of entitlement toward women and their bodies that enables aggressive behaviors like catcalling, stalking, and sexual assault. Sexual assault and harassment are major problems pretty much everywhere, from college campuses to our national parks to Silicon Valley to academia, fostered by the exact attitudes Savoy is propagating — that women don't know what they want, and that no really could be a yes in disguise."
Also, A Note About SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Sports Illustrated has been around since 1954. Originally promoted as a sports and lifestyle magazine, Sports Illustrated was actually one of the first magazines to get on board with featuring near-naked women when it comes to sports magazines objectifying women for male pleasure. ESPN Magazine soon followed with the "Body Issue," which served as a prime opportunity to feature nude athletes while saying it's still about sports. The swimsuit issue is not only unnecessary, but it also undermines the supposed mission of the magazine (which has to do with sports, no?), and its portrayal of women does little to help a society that already does not take female athletes seriously. For a female athlete to be noticed and put on a cover, she usually has to be scantily clad or topless. Not to mention, there is no swimsuit issue featuring men.
Sports Illustrated writer Andy Benoit recently made the mistake of tweeting that all women's sports were “not worth watching.”
{ “Really, Andy Benoit? There's nothing in women’s sports worth watching?” Poehler asked. “I think a lot of people would love to watch you say that to Serena Williams. Really.”
“I guess I’m not surprised that you work for Sports Illustrated,” she continued. “You guys put out a swimsuit issue every year dedicated entirely to women who aren’t in sports. Unless you think it’s a sport to cover both boobs with one arm. Really!?!” }
