Unfortunately, this is an M rated post

I recently received the January edition of Australian Women's Weekly (the subscription was a present last year). I was shocked to find a naked woman on the cover. In the article inside, Deborah Hutton tells us why she agreed to pose naked. 

"The reason I agreed to pose nude for The Weekly is to celebrate that I'm 50 and my body is the best it can be...For me, it's much more than just being naked on a cover. I fear there is too much emphases on how thin women ought to be and not enough on health and the acceptance of who we are, with all our imperfections...It's a tasteful photograph, of someone who is comfortable in her skin. It's a celebration for me of not shying away form the fact I'm 50, a time most women fear, as society dictates the best years are behind them."

Why, I ask, is it necessary to pose naked on a magazine cover to prove that you're comfortable in your skin? Is that the best way to address the issue of an overemphasis on youth and thinness? Isn't it selling women short? Exposing those parts of our bodies which should be reserved for viewing and enjoyment only by those who love us and have committed to keep doing so is only achieving a cheapening of who we are. Rather than helping the issue of an overemphasis on how we look, it is feeding into the same issue. It's saying that how we look is important, important enough to take someone's clothes off and show off their 50 y.o. body.


Did anyone stop to think how this affects the others who will see this magazine cover? After all this magazine is on magazine stands all over the country, and especially next to the places where young children queue with their mums to buy their groceries. And women whose marriages are devastated because of pornography. How will they feel about this "celebration"? And us mums who are trying to bring up our boys with a semblance of decency towards the opposite sex. How are we supposed to do that when women are throwing their naked bodies out there for all to see?


The "tasteful photograph" presumably means they've stopped short at showing all the woman's breasts and no pubic hair, but really.


Last time we were in Australia I was shocked that many women (even Christians) were very happy to show cleavage and bras. In fact it was hard to buy clothes that totally covered that part of your anatomy (especially if you have a short torso). So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by this. And I could go on. But...


I'll stop before I become incoherent.