Pose and cons

Tennis star Serena Williams has posed nude for the ESPN magazine called Body. She is one of the six athletes who has posed nude for the magazine, which hits the stands on Friday. The chunky champion says in her news report about her posing nude that she has problems with her body image and size. But then goes on to give a message to other women that one should not anguish over one's body,

Athletes have posed nude earlier, for several calendars (to raise funds for charity) and magazines. When Steffi Graf was playing, several news reports had stated that she had turned down an offer to pose nude for Playboy.

The issue about athletes posing nude, especially women, is tricky. If it were an actress, singer, dancer or another professional posing nude, critics would be quick to term it titillation or exploitation of women; an eye to increasing magazine sales, objectifying women as sex symbols, bimbos or play things.

Women athletes posing nude are often exempt from such criticism though of course the debate about the issue rages. Some athletes who have posed nude say they do it to raise money for charity or to simply draw attention to their sport.u00a0
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For example in 1999, the Australian national football team called Matildas sought to raise the profile of women's football in Australia, and raise funds for the team, by posing nude for a calendar. The Matildas A New Fashion in Football calendar was published and considered a success, but not without its detractors. Several felt
it took away from judging the game on its merit.

Athletes who pose nude say that they trivialise themselves and their game by doing so. Publications defend their decision to ask athletes to pose nude, especially women, by saying that the pictures send positive messages about body image to young girls. These girls who are constantly bombarded by pictures of waif-thin models and impossibly slim actresses can fall prey to anorexia and bulimia as they strive to make an unhealthy bodyweight. The picture of a muscular, strapping woman athlete proud of her anatomy and radiating confidence is an effective antidote to this. Serena says her nude picture sends the message to women that it is okay to be whatever size you are and still be happy.

The sports stars and nudity debate will continue to simmer through the years, as world class athletes continue to prove that clothes encounters do not just happen on the sports field.u00a0