Sports Illustrated typically treats sports as if it is the most important thing in the world. But looking at the cover of the swimsuit edition, you get the impression that the only thing worth thinking about is women. One issue a year isn’t about sports, but women. This is symbolized by the image of Irina Shayk, which is covering the word “sports” in the title. This magazine focuses on what men like to see and read about, not the important things in life. Sports Illustrated would never consider letting other topics, such as art, children, charities, religion, or politics have the spotlight for a month. This works to establish in men’s minds what matters and helps them justify ignoring other issues and topics.
According to Sports Illustrated, men’s minds should be dedicated, not just to women, but sex. This is shown by the size of the picture of Irina Shayk and her positioning. Her body positioning can tell the reader a lot about the purpose of the image, which is no doubt about turning on guys. She is on her knees with sand all over them and her hands are in-between her knees giving her support. This emphasizes her breasts and draws attention towards them, enhancing her curves. The hands don’t only give her more support, but also draw attention to and then teasingly hide her private area. Her hair is large and a bit messy-somewhere in between just left the salon hair and sex hair. Her positioning invites men to objectify her as a sexual object and not come to know her as a woman. The women don’t get interview opportunities; they get photographed and put in the magazine for men to look at. Men aren’t encouraged to care about the woman’s personality.
After sports, women, and sex, movies are a worthwhile pursuit of men. On the margin of the magazine, in small print it says, “Brooklyn Decker Movie Star”. This is trying to get a point across, by letting men know that women movie stars are important too. Brooklyn Decker is known for her modeling and nice body, not her acting. Men are encouraged to only go to movies if hot women are in them. Women are what are significant to men, not history, politics, society, or art.
The text on the left says, “Paradise found Irina Shayk in Hawaii.” For Sports Illustrated, paradise is sports, women, and tropical weather. What is excluded from paradise? Children, wives, work, politics, and religion are things that most men don’t think should be considered paradise. All of these things together make up real paradise and it is what men should care about most. “The Garden Of Eden”, the first paradise, represents heaven as the ultimate abode of the just. Justice, love, safety, home, this is what makes a place paradise. The magazine cover reveals what too many men want in modern day society--women in paradise wearing bikinis--and what they don’t want--wives, kids, work, etc.
The cover connects to Rereading America by objectification and dehumanization on pages 393 and 417. Both of these short stories tie into each other and make a connection with the point that Sports Illustrated is giving to men.
In conclusion, men are more than this, but things like sports, women and movie stars can distract them from what really matters. This is the message, but real happiness is nowhere to be found on this cover and Irina Shayk is only used as a diversion, in order to get men’s attention. In modern day society people judge magazines and other reading materials by what they see on the cover and not about the important information that it contains. Similarly, we shouldn’t judge men or women on...
Tony did a great job, this is true a lot of us get distracted from the ladies on the cover then from the information on the inside.
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