Not sure what I think of this ...

[maillotpois]

Good points - the body in motion as opposed to reclining on the couch. But the bike is behind her, she's not in heels or anything stupid like that.

[teawoman]

And the one with her touching the saddle is...er...not about the bike.

[Starfish]

EXACTLY
ever been to a museum filled with classic art??

What the men do with photos of women is just a tad bit different, don't you think?

And, in the interest of honest discussion, I have to say that sometimes I'm looking at photos as I would a piece of classic art in a museum, and sometimes I'm looking at them in very much the same way some guys look at some pictures, sometimes. But I realize I might be in a minority of women on that.

[Pedal Wench]

You know, I wonder if it's something much simpler. I looked at the second link that DuckOW posted,and noticed that there are really two types of pictures. One is the sexy pose - that 'come hither' look in the eye. One of a downhiller is actually fondling herself. Compare that one with some of the team photos where the girls are all smiles and laughing. One is meant for fun, the other to entice.

[East Hill]

Good points - the body in motion as opposed to reclining on the couch. But the bike is behind her, she's not in heels or anything stupid like that.

But when she is with the bike, she's in heels. And there is one photo of her with high heeled boots on the sofa with the bike behind her. That's the point. Lance's photo is all about the sheer enjoyment of the bike, with nothing intruding. He's not got his hands coyly cupped around his genitals. If he were posed EXACTLY the same way she was, it would be soft porn, and not art.

If she were posed the same way as Lance, it would be art as well. She's never IN MOTION riding the bike.

And her photographer is no Ann Leibowitz.

East Hill

[Deborajen]

When I look at those pictures, what sits in the back of mind are all the struggles women always seem to have to go through to be taken seriously. Men's cycling gets some attention in the U.S. but women's gets practically none. I don't think the pictures are actually offensive. She's gorgeous, and it's great to see a fit woman portrayed as sexy. There are too many anorexic-looking women in the media. But what gets me is the thought of why women always seem to have to flaunt their bodies to get attention - why does it take T's and A's to draw attention to women's sports, women in the workplace, etc.?

Not sure entirely what I think, either, but I do think it's hard to see those pictures as any comparison to, say, the nude picture of Lance, because of what women have gone through to try to gain some equality.

Deb

[Mr. Bloom]

This MAY be one of those times when a man should keep his opinions to himself, but in case someone cares about a male perspective:

First, I've seen lewd before, and this isn't lewd and I don't find the poses particularly offensive...but I could see where some of you do.

However...

A few years back, I was in the grocery check-out and there in front of me was LIFE magazine with a cover picture of the US Men's Olympic Soccer Team NUDE except for soccer balls covering their "boy bits". I WAS INCREDIBLY offended and flummoxed by what I saw as an unnecessary display

Why was I offended?

• Am I prudish? No
• Was I turned on? No
• Were they in an offensive pose? No, a speedo would have been more revealing...and the pose was completely asexual...

For me, I was offended because they were flaunting what I wasn't...buff, athletic, lean...etc. Just like many woman who appreciated the Leibovitz picture of Lance may be offended by Gunne-Rita's photo spread, I am more often offended by same gender "show all's" that leave me shaking my head with a "what were they thinking???" bewilderment.

Now, if a man appreciates the female form, is he automatically objectifying her? I don't think so...do you remember the responses to the "HOT MALE RIDERS" thread that has gotten 8,254 views in the last 3.5 months on this very forum??? Do the member of this forum objectify men by looking at that 8,254 times....the second most views on the non-cycling forum???

Don't misunderstand, porn does objectify women...and men too. But, those pictures are usually clearly lewd and I suspect often that the women (and men) in those pictures lack self respect...and personally, I feel sorry for them...but I say this as a 44 year old...I didn't have the wisdom or insight to understand that when I was 18 years old...

[KnottedYet]

How much is the photographer?

How much is the intended audience?

How much is the model?

I will cheefully admit that I like some of the "hot" pictures of Jessi Stensland riding on her bike in a race, or holding her bike over her head, or ready to dive into the water. But part of what I *like* about these pictures (over the sex-kitten pics of her) is that she is showing her atheltic skill, and it just happens to be incredibly sexy!

Are men drawn to athleticism?
Are they drawn to athletes as soft submissive sex objects?
AND, how much of published photographs is what the marketers *assume* men are drawn to?

Sometimes I think the marketers give men less credit than they deserve.

[Trekhawk]

Just to clarify ... I'm not offended. And I do appreciate both men's and women's bodies esthetically when artfully posed or drawn or painted or sculpted, even though I happen to prefer sex with men. I don't happen to be all that visually oriented in the lemonade department; for stimulation external to the relationship, I find texts and the images I imagine more tantalizing. And although I can see where this may be fodder for the imaginations of some, I don't read these images as explicitly pornographic. So my question was more about what this trend says about sports, or does for sports. And it is a trend. Lately there's been a lot of quasiporn posing by both men and women top athletes, in skiing and snowboarding and younameit. Not just biking. http://www1.vg.no/bildespesial/show/spesial.php?id=680
From my point of view, yeah, they've got great bods, they're having fun, they're getting paid, they've cleared it with serious advisors ... so no, they personally are not being exploited. But how are they affecting the kids who admire them? And are they distracting from the esthetic of the sport itself, the majesty of the effort and skill? I guess there is a marginal benefit here, from presenting buff bods as sexy, not just skinny ones. It might encourage fitness, rather than anorexia. So maybe all in all, this is a good thing.

Wow lots of Aussies in the nick on that link.

[LBTC]

This was the perfect sexy athletic fabulous woman on a bike shot - hard to beat.

Sure, it's been done before, but it's so much cooler and sexier in my mind.

H&B
~T~

[crazycanuck]

Hey,

If i had a body like hers & was #1(i think) world female mtn biker, why not do it.

It's fine.

C

[kelownagirl]

I like that picture LBTC!

I've been reading this thread with great interest, not sure exactly why I feel as I do, but I laughed out loud at Mr. Silver who I think was incredibly honest and hit the nail right on the head when he commented about the Hot Male Riders Thread. I don't like the pictures of the biker chick mainly because, I assume, they are intended to be athletic and sexy but instead they are primarily sexual. IMO the biker chick demeans herself posing like that under the guise of being an athlete. She's not portrayed as an athlete in those pictures, she's portrayed as a sex object. I suppose there's nothing wrong with being a sex object, male or female, but I take offense at one trying to come off as the other.

The pic of Lance is not sexual, it's an amazing, athletic, and perhaps to some, a sexy body. The picture that LBTC posted is another amazing, athletic (and sexy) body.

(Oh how I wish I had her tummy, or lack thereof....)

[Zen]

I like that picture LBTC!


The pic of Lance is not sexual, it's an amazing, athletic, and perhaps to some, a sexy body. The picture that LBTC posted is another amazing, athletic (and sexy) body.

(Oh how I wish I had her tummy, or lack thereof....)

Ditto to everything.

there are some things I didn't originally notice about the woman in the photo shoot.

Gold lame.
Patent leather knee high stillettos.
I almost feel bad for her now. I think she's gonna regret that.

[Irulan]

Now, if a man appreciates the female form, is he automatically objectifying her? I don't think so...do you remember the responses to the "HOT MALE RIDERS" thread that has gotten 8,254 views in the last 3.5 months on this very forum??? Do the member of this forum objectify men by looking at that 8,254 times....the second most views on the non-cycling forum???

Thanks for pointing that out.

Anyone who says that thread (hot guys) is about art and not objectification is full of it. Is there anyone here who can HONESTLY say that that they did not look at that thread about hot guys at all because they find the concept of objectification of anyone offensive? 8,255 views? Yeah, right.

but anyway, lest some of you think all men are pigs who just want to leer at women who choose to model in ridiculous situations, here's a great thread, all real women on bikes, no draping, high heels or come hither glances... I give you Ladies who rock all women, all real riders, all mountain bikers, all posted by men who love women who ride. Totally safe for work btw

[DirtDiva]

Nothing to add that hasn't already been said other than, personally, if I were to have a picture of G-RD on my wall I'd rather have her looking mean and mud-splattered with some poor competitor in the background with both lungs hanging out of the corner of a pained-looking mouth... Proper kick-arse, not just hot.