What the fuck is it with men selling women's bodies to get in good with other men? Why aren't they pimping themselves out?

It's basically saying: "Well here, our women are fuckable and unlike those other guys we don't mind showing off our women's T&A. It's empowering for them! *small* like us, please, please like us"

Gag.

Well, at least a 7-time Olympic medal winner is getting the recognition she finally deserves on Playboy (it's an article about it penned by Ms. Beard, not the spread itself).

Israel, not the home of multiple instances of world-changing religious events, but of HOTZ WOMENZ GRUNT GRUNT!

Isn't this problematic for every woman soldier over there? I know that they supposedly have less sexual harassment than we do, but they certainly don't need their colleagues thinking of them as sex objects.

Do we really expect anything different from Maxim?

I don't know where on earth I saw this, I know there is a site (message board) out there for posting pictures of "hot" Israeli soldiers. Well, just the female soldiers, of course.

Haha, this is hilarious. From a news article about the shoot:

"Officials said then they wanted to show the diversity of Israel and change the perception that it was a land of conflict.

'Israel is viewed as a very macho society. We want to show that we are a normal society like others,' Saranga said."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06192007/news/regionalnews/babes_in_oy_land_scuffle_regionalnews_andy_soltis.htm

Let me know when Cosmo gets to publish half-naked pics of the male soldiers.

Powerful + Beautiful = Me Drooling

That said, I'm still irked by this. I don't think it's sexism, persay, but it's the use of sex to sell political belief rather than, say, ideas and logical arguments. I'm over this BS image marketing taking precedent over well reasoned thought.

The design magazine Wallpaper* had a spread when I was in college (I guess it would have been 1999 or 2000) of hot (male) soldiers of the Dutch army.

"This beguiling blonde clearly remembers her favorite part of serving her country: 'I met my husband. His commander kept trying to set us up.' Lucky for him, Natalie followed orders."

oh god...

Israel is viewed as a very macho society. We want to show that we are a normal society like others.

I'm sure the irony (of saying that, in defense of this) is lost on them.

marle: "Let me know when Cosmo gets to publish half-naked pics of the male soldiers."

Ask and ye shall receive. Here are several pics on the cosmopolitan website at least of half-naked military men.

I know this is wrong, but... er.. I kinda enjoyed that link. I'll go hide now.

Ugh, I can't believe the Foreign and Tourism Ministries are working with Maxim. It's pretty gross if you ask me.

First of all, service in Israel is mandatory, so pretty much every girl you see walking down the street who is over 20-21 years old is a former soldier in the IDF.

Besides that, it's insulting. You are in the army to serve your country. Lots of girls do it gladly and proudly (I know I did) and Maxim just makes it sound like it's all a big show. Like these girls are there to look hot. Like their service was just a little 2 year thing so that the little blurb under their photo could be even hotter.

Also, what's the deal with mentioning guns? How is that sexy?

Yeah, nothing turns me on more than military oppression of Arabs coupled with bad ass chicks in swim suits. Next month I guess we will see Condi Rice on the beach photos in Maxim. (that was all sarcastic)

Unfortunately we won't get the Arab equivalent, or wait, we did. It was that Bin-ladin niece (who dropped the "Bin" from her name) who graced the pages with photos of her in a bath tub in, I think, Vanity Fair.

I guess you must have sex appeal before Men's mags will give you much attention.

However tourism to Israel will probably pick up after this issue of Maxim.

When is the feministing mag coming on out? On your first cover you could have pictures of Iraqi doctors that refuse to flee despite the dangers of staying in Iraq. And a center article about the 50 plus Arabic translators who were kicked out of the military for being gay. Actually this site is probably a lot better than the mag would be.

However I have never bought Maxim, but I would buy Feministing the mag.

@ whenfishfly: Guns are a symbol of power. Power is, quite possibly, the sexiest accessory for any woman (or man) to possess. It is the mother of all sexual fetishes, because each fetish is about either the reciept or surrender of power.

@ Itazura: When I hear the word "oppression," leveled against Israel, milk comes squirting out my nose. Just thought you should know.

Oh, so the Palestinians are not being oppressed? Palestine is the world's last colony and it is about time the Palestinians got their own homeland (known as the West Bank and Gaza).

Meanwhile, it's possible to be oppressed and to oppress someone else at the same time:

http://hrw.org/reports/2006/opt1106/index.htm

Agreed Mina, but 2 wrongs don't make a right.

Oh, and it's not my idea of gender parity to objectify men in addition to women.

Actually that always seemed liked a realistic solution to me, depending on exactly what is meant by "objectify".

well jeff, I think women may feel particularly threatened by objectification, because that is the status quo for them already. So it doesn't feel like additional freedom or choice to be objectified... (and /of course/ the women given attention still all have similar facial features and body types)

I apologize for bringing up old business, but why is it bad for Israel and Maxim to use bare bodies to sell Israel and Maxim to young men, but okay, hip, and edgy for feminist authors to use bare bodies to sell books and feminism to young women?

Well JPF there are so many answers to that question. I'll take a quick shot at it though. First of all, I have never seen Maxim feature a spread of just someone's stomach. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

Secondly, if a book is an intellectual thing being marketed towards young women, the image is clearly not for the "use" of them in the same sexual manner as it is with images of naked women marketed towards men.

Well JPF there are so many answers to that question. I'll take a quick shot at it though. First of all, I have never seen Maxim feature a spread of just someone's stomach. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

I honestly couldn't tell you as I have never seen a Maxim feature ever.

That sound you hear is the sound of hundreds of neocon men rubbing one out.

I know! How about they combine the women's sex appeal and their military accomplishments by having them pose in their underwear while holding machine guns?

Oh, wait. That wouldn't work at all. Not for us, anyway.

that's just great! good thing it's not difficult to be taken seriously as a military woman! (please make note of my sarcasm!) maybe i should get naked...maybe then i would "stand out amongst my peers". give me a break! does anyone else think this undoes what i am trying to do as far as prove that i too can serve and be taken seriously and do my job well? another bang up job by maxim.

It's unfortunate that the Israeli consulate chose to emphasize Israel's relevance with a portrait of a half-naked woman, instead of with one of women of substance and accomplishments

The worst part is that these may very well BE women of substance and accomplishments, but it's being deliberately hidden.

I'm disinclined to indentify the Israeli government as an occupying force. What with the democracy and rule of law.

Jewish immigrants had been coming to Palestine since the 19th century (at least) fleeing murderous persecution. When that area was freed from British rule, the Jewish population was acknowledged, and a new state established accordingly.

An old friend of mine lives in Israel, and I worry about her at times. Bombs go off even in civilian areas, and there's no guarantee she is safe.

Partly for this reason, I have difficulty indentifying Israel as pure evil, though some of the actions it has taken in the past are unjustifiable.