May 25 2008
Another Female Athlete Poses For Playboy
No, it’s not a swimmer. Calm down!
Following in the footsteps of Miss Amanda Beard, American tennis player Ashley Harkleroad has revealed that she has posed for Playboy Magazine’s August 2008 issue. She is the first tennis player to appear in the mag.
Harkleroad is ranked #61 in the world and was beaten today by fellow American Serena Williams (whom I love) in the 1st round of the French Open.
There has been a lot of attention paid fo the sexualization of female sports lately. This is in light of the sudden retirement of tennis’ Justine Henin (World #1) and the announcement that golfer Annika Sorenstam will call it quits at the end of the 2008 season. These two women, who excelled in respective sports, did not rely on their sexuality to market themselves.
I know y’all are probably wondering why I’m making a post about this considering Ashley Harkleroad not a swimmer.
Well, I’m interested in the response to her decision to pose. I am wondering if the media, fans, parents etc. will react similarly to when news (and photos) broke about Amanda posing. I know Ashley isn’t as high profile a female athlete as Amanda, but the sport of tennis is much more visible than swimming here in America. I guess we shall see!
What does everyone think?
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One Response to “Another Female Athlete Poses For Playboy”
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I’m thinking that the tennis fans will be more accepting and not make such a big deal about it. I mean, tennis has its share of public beauties that posed for other magazines (FHM, swim suit edition of SI, etc.) so what would taking it one step further to Playboy do?
I just find this ironic if it’s true. Why would a swimmer posing nude cause so much backlash (not sure that’s the right word)? Think about it, they swim in swimsuits that are 2 piece or tight-fitting, see through, leave nothing to the imagination body suits. Tennis players have skirts, polos, etc. Maybe it is because Amanda had no other swimmer to follow in their footsteps. It’s hard to open a new door.
Again, I could be wrong. Maybe the fans won’t be so accepting. Hard to say! Guess we will just have to wait and see!