Not sure what I think of this ...

[Zen]

Why would she do that?

I don't know who she is but she's apparently known as a cyclist.
I'm disappointed but she must have issues (money or self-image) that need resolved.

She certainly isn't helping the cause of advancing womens sports.

[Veronica]

Some people just like showing off their bodies. It doesn't mean she has issues.

V.

[Zen]

Some people just like showing off their bodies. It doesn't mean she has issues.

V.

So that guy who opened his raincoat at me was perfectly normal. What a relief!

[Starfish]

I like this better than the Specialized Angel, by far.

Unrelated...but kinda related...I used to have some next-door neighbors, an apparently successfully married couple with 3 kids, who met because she had posed in a Scandinavian girly mag, and he had seen it here in the U.S.. He was so attracted to her picture that he tracked her down across the globe through her agent, flew there, met her, courted her, and now they have been married for something like 18 years. They were nice, fun people and great neighbors.

I just always kind of got a kick out of that story. Now THAT guy was a go getter. (Or, a go-get-her!!)

[LBTC]

Hey, Zen, I'm pretty sure she's won some Olympic races, as well as World cup races, in mountain biking. And I agree with Duck - I would be more inspired and eager to get out and ride if at least some of the poses were actual biking shots! The marketers understand the market, though. The women's market is very small compared to the men's, so whatever she is selling will probably sell to men just fine.

H&B
~T~

[mimitabby]

okay,
here i go.

The human body can be really beautiful. Photographs can be art.
Some people really appreciate that kind of art, others don't.
Part of why my own sister is not talking to me is that she can't stand
how some men (that i might be married to) "OBJECTIFY" women by verbally appreciating them.

If this person wants to pose for photos, and she's being paid, and people like
them, WHAT DOES IT HURT?

[Kimmyt]

I dunno, I don't find the photos that offensive. I mean, its not like she was coerced into doing them. In fact, if you look at it from that point of view, don't you think that she is really OWNING her own body? Yeah, guys might get off on those pictures, but some guys get off to anything.

I don't really think those photos are that aesthetically pleasing, actually. It would be much better if the photos were done in the style of Stone Nudes (you can google it to see), a famous naked woman rock climbing calendar, which has some really phenomenal shots in it....the female body is really a beautiful thing, when presented in an artistic way.

And you know what? If I was rocking a body like hers, and someone wanted me to pose next to a bike wearing a pair of hotpants and a bathing suit top, damn sure I would. It would be fun to feel like a supermodel. And I would bet money that she agreed to the specific amount of skin shown in every one of those photos.

K.

[sgtiger]

Wowee! If I had a body like that, I'd show it off too. No one would have to pay me, but it wouldn't hurt. Hey, I could use the proceeds to buy bike accessories.