February is the month in which Sports Illustrated warms up the male population with its annual Swimsuit Edition. There’s the big “reveal” of the cover and of the model who graces it and talk about the (little) bikini she is wearing.
But this year, it’s not Kate Upton getting frost bitten in her Canada Goose jacket that’s getting the most attention. It’s what’s between the covers that has created backlash from some bloggers and international press.
Why? Gorgeous Sports Illustrated models in exotic locales wearing tiny bikinis is not new. Nor is the debate that the annual Swimsuit Issue exploits women. What IS new is that the 2013 issue – shot in China and Namibia – also features “locals” in the background.
And what is bothering some is the way in which the “locals” are portrayed.
In China, Jessica Gomez poses with girls in traditional dress while Anne V. sits in a bikini 
near a man who uses a pole to propel a raft. In Namibia, Emily DiDonato is in the desert beside a semi-nude black man in native dress.
Jezebel.com slams the magazine for promoting racial stereotyping and for using the people as “props”. For example, they criticize the shot with Anne V. in China as portraying a “white person relaxing, a person of color working. A tale as old as time.”
On Jezebel’s website, one man wrote: “Pics of woman with local natives is NOT hot, it’s exploitative, so the mission is fail right there.” While another man commented that “Some of the examples are reaching a bit…the one with the boat….why pick that for China? Especially when everything I read about China is how they’re an industrial powerhouse.” (source)
Al Jazeera has also picked up the story and The Shanghaist is offended that Chinese people are “used as exotic props” in the photos.
Let’s face it. The Swimsuit Issue (even with the beautifully shot photographs) has never been the barometer of great taste. It’s been criticized in past for exploiting women and now they’ve offended other groups as well. Sadly, I’m not sure I’m completely surprised.
So…what do you think of these images? Are they in poor taste or are people over-reacting? Do you think Sports Illustrated gone too far with these photos? Sound off below!
Its weird because I seem to think that they do this every time. And trust me Julie, they aren’t trying to sell the suits 0 they’re just trying to boost circulation once a year. I’ll be honest. It’s the only SI I read…I know they’re all airbrushed…but I do envision my head on the bodies and dream….
I’m not sure I’d call it racist at all, but it’s all certainly contrived… it’s not even in an attempt to sell the bathing suits – they’ll do anything to make the model look beautiful.
SI has never been among my favourite publications, but I’m also not part of their target demographic either, so I seldom even see these kinds of images. (I think I’m pretty hard to offend, anyway.)
i dunno, i just think it’s strange “selling” swimsuits that no one can afford (not to mention swim in) to a population that can’t fit in to them. the only people that look good in these suits are the 5 or 6 models that are wearing them!
one one hand, sure you could argue the people are props, but they are also willingly dressed in their traditional/normal clothes and one would hope they were told what the pictures were for. i can’t say it’s racist as they are just posing in bikinis next to people who are from that country. if they were mimicking them, then i would say yes.
I was more shocked by the level of nudity. My 13 y/o son get SI and loves it but this, in my opinion, was pretty much porn.