Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition - Plus Sizes & Pubic Bones

I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition....period.  But hey....it is what it is and once it hit the bookstands, I would just turn a blind eye to it -- just like I would with Maxim or any of those other magazines tucked into the top rack, wrapped in plastic with the discreet black bar across it.

But this time, SI......I believe you've both gone too far and missed this mark.  And this time, I have an opinion.  A big, fat, loud opinion.

First - what the hell were you thinking with your cover?
Second - Seriously....size 12 is now plus-sized?

For those who may not have seen it, this is the cover in question.

And while I'm sure that a lot of this cover was air-brushed and photoshopped to the nth degree, I still have to cringe at the thought of the waxing session Hannah Davis had to endure before this shoot.  I tried that pose while looking in the mirror and there was nothing attractive about the 6-inch long scar from my two c-sections.

Oh, and let's not forget the so-called "plus-sized" model......

Does SI understand that this plus-sized model is also 6'2"......so a size 12 on her looks completely natural, while a size 12 on me (who is a full foot shorter than Robyn Lawley) makes me look like a pear wearing jeans.

She has even admitted herself that "I don't know if I consider myself as a plus-size model or not.  It's ludicrous to call me plus size and I've stated that publicly pretty much every step of the way."

::Shaking my head::  Oh Sports Illustrated, where do I start????

Now, I'm not a prude by any far sense of the word.  I enjoy looking at "the beautiful people" just as much as the next person.  And let's be honest.....no matter how you debate it, sex sells.  People like to look at beautiful, hot men & women and there’s nothing wrong with that.  But I prefer to look at the beautiful people in the privacy of my own home....and not all up in my face (or the faces of my 10-year old and 6-year old daughters) while I'm putting my chocolate and tampons on the grocery store conveyor belt.

Hannah Davis is beautiful.  I'll give her that.  She's also smart and an athlete and I don't know if this is even mentioned in the magazine article.  But does it really matter?  No, it doesn't because everyone is staring at the top of her "tulip" which is so on the verge of going "full bloom" with one sneeze.

I'll be honest.  I showed 10-year old Nani that picture and asked her what she thought.  I did not sway her opinions in any way.  I just told her I wanted to show her a picture and wanted her opinion.  After her eyes popped out and back into her head again, her thoughts were these:

*  "She's so pretty, but why is she pulling down her bathing suit?"
*  "I don't feel right looking at that picture"
*  "That bathing suit doesn't look comfortable at all.  How can she swim and play in that?"  (oh sweet innocence!)

I can't even begin to imagine the conversation a parent would have with their tween son about this.

I don't want to get into a deep conversation either about the oversexualization of our children at an early age or the objectification of women in the media because then this blog post would turn into a PhD dissertation and "ain't nobody got time for that".

I'm just a mom who doesn't believe that a size 12 is "plus-sized"...... and that SI shouldn't get any credit for including a "plus-sized" model in their smut rag magazine.  Size 12 is a REAL SIZE for REAL women......the ones who drive car pool, the ones who glue sequins to a 100th Day of School project, the ones who eat cold Spaghetti O's off their kid's plate because she just didn't have time to eat in between loads of laundry and homework.

I'm just a mom who doesn't believe that exposing your body (albeit even though a small, and I mean, SMALL part is covered) teaches our children to appreciate their own body image more.  Try explaining that to a pre-teen anorexic/bulimic because she feels that in order to have a boyfriend and be loved, she has to look skinny and tan like the girls she sees on magazine covers and the more skin she shows, the better.

I try to teach my daughters that they are strong, smart, beautiful and that they can be anything they want to be and do whatever they want to do without giving themselves away.....and that THIS is our definition of "BEAUTIFUL"!

What are your thoughts?  I'd love to hear your opinions, but please remember to be respecful when commenting!