We thought the ���controversy��� over Lindsey Vonn���s Sports Illustrated cover shot was ridiculous. Sure, she���s wearing makeup instead of a helmet. But ���suggestive pose?��� Come on. She���s a downhill racer, the ���pose��� is a legitimate tuck���a tool of her trade. If you find it ���suggestive,��� that says more about you than her. And as far as we���re concerned, whenever SI wants to put a skier on the cover, we���re all for it.
Then, today, the bombshell, so to speak: an entire gallery of Lindsey, from SI���s vaunted Swimsuit Issue. And she is not wearing her speedsuit.
We followed the link���strictly out of professional diligence, mind you. Controversy exploded in the office. ���Inappropriate,��� the women said. "She���s demeaning herself. She���s a world-class athlete and she shouldn���t have to resort to sex-kitten photos.���
���Oh, sure,��� the guys countered. ���And when it���s Nomar Garciapara or Lebron James all oiled up and shirtless, you don���t have a problem with that!���
Both were good points. So, with fresh eyes, we all looked again, and came to a kind of consensus.
"She does look incredible,��� said one female SKI staffer. Another added, ���Yeah, she���ll take some grief for it from certain people, but she���s beautiful and she���s an amazing racer and she can do what she wants.���
So perhaps we finally do live in a post-feminist world, where strong and sexy don���t have to be opposing attributes.
Could be. For their part, the guys on staff promise to study the issue in greater depth.
News Alert: Vonn reveals that she sustained a serious injury during slalom training. Will she be able to race in the Olympics?
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Here's a look at SKI's cover featuring Lindsey Vonn from our February 2010 issue:
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