I was wondering what people thought about the pictures that Amanda Beard posed for in FHM. I was talking to a friend a couple of years ago and she was telling me that she thought that Amanda had "sold out". At that time I was only aware that she was modeling for speedo and other sports related products.
I went into 7-11 this week and there she was on the cover of FHM and in my mind that definatly crossed the "sold out" line. It doesn't change the fact that she's a great athlete but I don't think I take her seriously anymore. What would you think if Gary Hall Jr. posed in a magazine like that in those poses? Would you be able to take him seriously or look at him the same way?
"She has signed a $1 million contract to advertise Speedo’s Axcelerate line. Throw in endorsement deals with Oroweat Bread, Red Bull and Penta water, and a signature line of fragrance products, and Amanda can earn up to $100 million by 2010." - FHM
I just don't understand with all the money that she's raking in already, why there was a need to pose..... How about Vogue Amanda? That's sexy!
Whatever......
Amanda pics
Parents
Former Member
1) No one actually looks like photos like this. How do these magazines do it? They start with the most attractive 0.01% of the population. Then they add professional make-up/costuming/hair and most important of all, professional photography. And then to reach the acme of artificial perfection, they air brush away any blemishs. However aesthetically pleasing these images are to some, they are science fiction bordering on fantasy. Nice to look at, but don't confuse with real life.
2) The photos of elite female athletes I have always found most intriguing are the ones that show them in action or show off their athleticism. Just after the 96 Games, several of the athletes posed nude for some photos for Sports Illustrated (with artful posing and editing to keep within SI's style). There was one striking photo of Amy Van Dyken kneeling at the end of a pool (the lane line stretching out into the background) with her back to the camera. You almost didn't notice she was nude because you couldn't help seeing her shoulders like an NFL linebacker. Just before the 2000 Games, Jenny Thompson posed on a beach wearing only a frumpy bikini bottom (and covering her breasts with her arms) that generated comments similar to here. What struck me was how goofey and pedestrian it made her look, and right next to it was a gorgeous photo of her in a regular swim suit doing freestyle. When Brandi Chastain ripped off her shirt to celebrate winning the World Cup, everyone was so taken with her sports bra (like no one has ever seen anything twice as revealing on any beach in America on a summer day). I was taken with the six-pack abs she was sporting. What am I saying? Some folks have specualted whether Amanda could do these photos once she's trained and bulked up for the 2008 Games. Au contraire mon frere, I'm looking forward to seeing what she looks like ready to swim with the best in the World. That is when she is most extraordinary.
3) Xenadiva has asked whether we can take any swimmer seriously who poses for photos like this. I wonder what photos like this have to do with it? I take Amanda seriously because of what she has done in the pool. She is also on the road to doing good things for the sport of swimming, and I'll be interested in seeing what she does with her fame. To be honest, she still has some ground to make up in catching Gary Hall in the impressario department. I think one should not take seriously people whose only achievement is being the object of salacious/science fiction photos for men's magazines of pedestrian taste. In contrast, the people I take very seriously are those who get up every day, go to work making a difference in other people's lives, and live up to their responsibilities (think teachers, firefighters, hospital workers, etc. etc.) Don't confuse entertainment with importance, or as a wise man once said, don't confuse significance with prominence.
Matt S
1) No one actually looks like photos like this. How do these magazines do it? They start with the most attractive 0.01% of the population. Then they add professional make-up/costuming/hair and most important of all, professional photography. And then to reach the acme of artificial perfection, they air brush away any blemishs. However aesthetically pleasing these images are to some, they are science fiction bordering on fantasy. Nice to look at, but don't confuse with real life.
2) The photos of elite female athletes I have always found most intriguing are the ones that show them in action or show off their athleticism. Just after the 96 Games, several of the athletes posed nude for some photos for Sports Illustrated (with artful posing and editing to keep within SI's style). There was one striking photo of Amy Van Dyken kneeling at the end of a pool (the lane line stretching out into the background) with her back to the camera. You almost didn't notice she was nude because you couldn't help seeing her shoulders like an NFL linebacker. Just before the 2000 Games, Jenny Thompson posed on a beach wearing only a frumpy bikini bottom (and covering her breasts with her arms) that generated comments similar to here. What struck me was how goofey and pedestrian it made her look, and right next to it was a gorgeous photo of her in a regular swim suit doing freestyle. When Brandi Chastain ripped off her shirt to celebrate winning the World Cup, everyone was so taken with her sports bra (like no one has ever seen anything twice as revealing on any beach in America on a summer day). I was taken with the six-pack abs she was sporting. What am I saying? Some folks have specualted whether Amanda could do these photos once she's trained and bulked up for the 2008 Games. Au contraire mon frere, I'm looking forward to seeing what she looks like ready to swim with the best in the World. That is when she is most extraordinary.
3) Xenadiva has asked whether we can take any swimmer seriously who poses for photos like this. I wonder what photos like this have to do with it? I take Amanda seriously because of what she has done in the pool. She is also on the road to doing good things for the sport of swimming, and I'll be interested in seeing what she does with her fame. To be honest, she still has some ground to make up in catching Gary Hall in the impressario department. I think one should not take seriously people whose only achievement is being the object of salacious/science fiction photos for men's magazines of pedestrian taste. In contrast, the people I take very seriously are those who get up every day, go to work making a difference in other people's lives, and live up to their responsibilities (think teachers, firefighters, hospital workers, etc. etc.) Don't confuse entertainment with importance, or as a wise man once said, don't confuse significance with prominence.
Matt S
