Are Magazine Swimsuit Issues Actually Empowering?

The unspoken truth is that Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue is not a triumph of female athleticism, agency, or empowerment. Instead, it is a descent into sexual objectification. Research sows that when someone is being objectified the objectifier is viewing them as if they do not possess a real, individual mind and as if they are less deserving of moral treatment.[1] Some claim that these experiences are "likely to contribute to mental health problems that disproportionately affect women (i.e., eating disorders, depression, and sexual dysfunction.)" [2] Objectification also impacts men, as shown by the fact that sexual objectification occurs in 37% of advertisements featuring men's body parts to showcase a product.[3] But why is it that so many people actively participate in objectification culture? This podcast will discuss the phenomenon of self-objectification, and why it is ultimately not empowering. CALL TO ACTION: Email Barnes & Noble executives to ask them to remove Playboy magazine from their shelves.   Citations: [1] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.755/full [2] https://books.apa.org/education/ce/sexual-objectification.pdf [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23458607