We can’t escape political statements, whether its our Super Bowl halftime show or a cover of a magazine a guy wants to pick up and stare at on his lunch break.
On Saturday, Sports Illustrated announced that plus-size model and “body positive activist” Ashley Graham would grace one of this year’s three swimsuit edition covers. Graham is a size 16 and, as a body positive activist, has been an outspoken critic of what the left calls “fat-shaming.” The model will be joined by UFC fighter Ronda Rousey and model Hailey Clauson; each with their own separate cover.
While there is really nothing wrong with this choice, it is clearly a political one. “Fat-shaming,” which is what Graham is symbolically fighting against here, is a termed cooked-up by the left—feminists in particular—to victimize overweight women (just women, feminists don’t care about men) while simultaneously launching an effort to rid the stigma of being unhealthy and overweight. Because the left hates stigmas targeting harmful behavior, be it abortion, promiscuity, or now, personal health.
Graham has called her appearance on the magazine “epic” and has claimed that SI has “started a revolution.”
“I thought Sports Illustrated was taking a risk by putting a girl my size in the pages,” Graham told People Magazine. “But putting me on the cover? They aren’t just breaking barriers. They are the standard now. This is beyond epic.”
It’s still unclear what “revolution” this cover with start. Will men generally start finding over-weight women attractive? Will being over-weight stop being unhealthy? Fat chance. (See what I did there?)
But to Sports Illustrated’s credit, the magazine managed to create a buzz while scoring some cool-points with the left and “appeasing” the social justice warrior crowd. (Well, jokes on them with that last one, social justice warriors can’t be appeased.) And of course, Graham is a beautiful model who happens to be plus-size, so they won’t tank their sales in the process either. Victory!
