OT: Remember when the SI swimsuit issue was a big deal?

18IsTheMan

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This year the cover (one of 4) will feature 81 year old Martha Stewart.

Not a joke.
 

18IsTheMan

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And, just to address the point before it’s made: 81 is 81. I don’t care how well you’ve aged.

Makes you wonder what the swimsuit issue even exists for anymore. It was originally intended to appeal to men, necessitating the objectification of women. That’s no longer looked upon favorably, but they continue to make the issue to celebrate all body types. But that, quite frankly, is not what men want to see.
 
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Lurker123

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Oh, it's a joke alright.

This is "no one es paying attention to me so I have to do something crazy" syndrome.
 
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18IsTheMan

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They've gone the ESPN route and made everything political.
What sports fan demographic are they appealing to by putting an 81 year old white woman in a tankini on the cover?

It’s obviously not made for men anymore. I don’t even know who reads SI, at least in the print edition.

Are women buying these things and looking at a pictures of other women and celebrating their bodies? Obviously no average male sports fan wants to look at Martha Stewart in a tankini. So who is that they think wants to see this?
 

Go Gamecocks

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EILF?

 

Prestonyte

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What sports fan demographic are they appealing to by putting an 81 year old white woman in a tankini on the cover?

It’s obviously not made for men anymore. I don’t even know who reads SI, at least in the print edition.

Are women buying these things and looking at a pictures of other women and celebrating their bodies? Obviously no average male sports fan wants to look at Martha Stewart in a tankini. So who is that they think wants to see this?
It has to be the women who felt left out all these years - Sports Illustrated "Forgiveness Issue"
 

Uscg1984

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I don't know how many models are featured in the SI swimsuit edition, but if it's 20 or 30, some young lady in her twenties was number 21 or 31 and didn't make the issue because an 81 year old grandma (great-grandma?) did. Heck, the young lady may have even had a photo shoot for the issue that ended up on the cutting room floor.

Under this new philosophy, why does SI feature models anyway? They should just go to any American beach in July and photograph overweight, sunburnt, and hairy tourists and put that in the magazine. If everybody is beautiful, then just put real people in the issue.
 

18IsTheMan

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I don't know how many models are featured in the SI swimsuit edition, but if it's 20 or 30, some young lady in her twenties was number 21 or 31 and didn't make the issue because an 81 year old grandma (great-grandma?) did. Heck, the young lady may have even had a photo shoot for the issue that ended up on the cutting room floor.

Under this new philosophy, why does SI feature models anyway? They should just go to any American beach in July and photograph overweight, sunburnt, and hairy tourists and put that in the magazine. If everybody is beautiful, then just put real people in the issue.
Funny but excellent point. If the goal is is just to celebrate the female body in all shapes sizes and ages, why use models and famous people?
 

ToddFlanders

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This year the cover (one of 4) will feature 81 year old Martha Stewart.

Not a joke.

It definitely was a big deal back in the day. Huge even. Just another internet casualty - like beauty pageants, newspapers and award shows.

Those things used to have major novelty value, but now that you can see every aspect of celebrities’ day-to-day lives, news updated by the second, and literally every hot girl on the planet in a swimsuit (thank you Instagram), there’s nothing really driving people to the past popular options.
 
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ToddFlanders

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SI hasn't been relevant in decades.

Exactly. Magazine and newspaper sales are a tiny fraction of what they once were.

This type of move does get people talking about them though - and maybe reminds people they’re around for sports reporting. If they put out the swimsuit issue with some model on the cover, they get zero publicity because who can’t find a pic of a model in a bikini in mere seconds now? Since they aren’t going to sell many magazines anyway, might as well get some mileage out of an interesting cover.
 
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18IsTheMan

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It definitely was a big deal back in the day. Huge even. Just another internet casualty - like beauty pageants, newspapers and award shows.

Those things used to have major novelty value, but now that you can see every aspect of celebrities’ day-to-day lives, news updated by the second, and literally every hot girl on the planet in a swimsuit (thank you Instagram), there’s nothing really driving people to the past popular options.

So basically just shock value? Interesting take. I guess that makes the most sense. It used to be a HUGE deal who would be on the cover and in the mag...Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford, etc. It was a cultural phenomenon. And, for boys who wanted, but couldn't get their hands on a Playboy, the SI Swimsuit Issue was a once-a-year treasure trove. Now all that's available online all the time, so I guess they are reduced to trying for the novelty aspect. An 81 year old certainly fits the bill there.
 

ToddFlanders

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So basically just shock value? Interesting take. I guess that makes the most sense. It used to be a HUGE deal who would be on the cover and in the mag...Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford, etc. It was a cultural phenomenon. And, for boys who wanted, but couldn't get their hands on a Playboy, the SI Swimsuit Issue was a once-a-year treasure trove. Now all that's available online all the time, so I guess they are reduced to trying for the novelty aspect. An 81 year old certainly fits the bill there.

Not shock value - novelty value. Seeing beautiful models across the pages of SI every winter used to be the novelty. Hot girls in a sports magazine! Where else are you going to see these models in bikinis except a Victoria secret catalog (which also became quite tame and boring after the internet)?

so now they look to push all of the feminine forms. And guess what? It’s working. People are talking about them. Is anyone turned on by Martha Stewart? Not a chance, but they’ll look. Any other random hot girl on there and no one even knows the magazine is out.
 

Tngamecock

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Not shock value - novelty value. Seeing beautiful models across the pages of SI every winter used to be the novelty. Hot girls in a sports magazine! Where else are you going to see these models in bikinis except a Victoria secret catalog (which also became quite tame and boring after the internet)?

so now they look to push all of the feminine forms. And guess what? It’s working. People are talking about them. Is anyone turned on by Martha Stewart? Not a chance, but they’ll look. Any other random hot girl on there and no one even knows the magazine is out.
Wait til you see the transgender model in the swimsuit issue…lol….it will happen soon
 

18IsTheMan

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Not shock value - novelty value. Seeing beautiful models across the pages of SI every winter used to be the novelty. Hot girls in a sports magazine! Where else are you going to see these models in bikinis except a Victoria secret catalog (which also became quite tame and boring after the internet)?

so now they look to push all of the feminine forms. And guess what? It’s working. People are talking about them. Is anyone turned on by Martha Stewart? Not a chance, but they’ll look. Any other random hot girl on there and no one even knows the magazine is out.

I'd say an 81 year old on the cover is mostly shock value.
 

18IsTheMan

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Well, I don't follow closely at all. Elon Musk's mom was actually on the cover last year. She's 74.



 

18IsTheMan

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What’s shocking about an old lady? She’s not spread eagle on the cover - she’s just on there. It’s literally just an old lady smiling.

No matter how you slice it. An 81 year old on the SI swimsuit cover is shock value. It doesn't mean the pictures themselves are shocking.

There can be no other reason for it. You say as much above.

This is really no different than it ever has been. The shock value used to be in how scantily clad or provocative the cover photo would be. Now it's in how bizarre of a model they will use.
 
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ToddFlanders

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No matter how you slice it. An 81 year old on the SI swimsuit cover is shock value. It doesn't mean the pictures themselves are shocking.

There can be no other reason for it. You say as much above.

This is really no different than it ever has been. The shock value used to be in how scantily clad or provocative the cover photo would be. Now it's in how bizarre of a model they will use.

I guess some are easily shocked.
 

Harvard Gamecock

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Smart move by SI. Haven't heard anyone talk about their magazine, even the swimsuit edition in years.
Based on this thread, and I'm sure this is not the only one, people are talking about it again.