Body-boarding in Costa Rica
Three years ago I set up a surf trip to Costa Rica. Sadly it foundered because, most unusually, I acquired an injury. However, I'm determined to get there one day, and because of this was just Googling around, checking out anything to do with surfing in Costa Rica. I happened upon this site (to whom, many thanks for the picture. It's captioned 'boogie boarding, too, at Jaco...').
But the thing is, does this picture illustrate body-boarding? It reminds me of a letter in a recent issue of The Surfer's Path, in which a correspondent opined that there's nothing untoward about the Reef ads and their obsession with the female derriere, for far from being sexist Reef's ads are merely a bit of fun and, indeed, mimetic of societal reality or wryly brimful with post-modern irony (OK, I made that bit up).
But what do you think? Are these kinds of ad OK in surfing?
If they are, why?
If they're not, why not?
The best answer gets an all-expenses-paid trip to Costa Rica (if I ever win the lottery).
I don't see a problem. OK maybe a little bit saucy but I'm sure girls check out the guys in surf pictures as well.
Posted by: TT | Mar 3, 2008 12:12:01 PM
difficult! i guess it's harmless and there's always going to be a lot of flesh in surfing. except for here!
Posted by: Seababe | Mar 3, 2008 2:13:14 PM
TT – the guys in surf pictures aren't wearing G-strings. And there are not shots which depict them as headless, faceless arses. They tend to be shown, um, surfing and face first, so they have personalities etc.
Posted by: Aye Aye | Mar 3, 2008 5:04:57 PM
Without wishing to hinder this debate, I'm with Aye Aye on this one. Sure, it's all good fun - but at the end of the day it's also objectification, and the same thing doesn't happen in reverse. Surfing in today's world ought to do better.
Posted by: Alex Wade | Mar 3, 2008 5:23:11 PM
Is this not something that is part of surfing culture itself? If you asked the girls in the pictures if they had a problem with it, I'd say the majority wouldn't. And surely its the subjects who get to make the call?
Personally I don't pay much attention to these pictures but neither do I have a problem. But each to their own...
Posted by: JAY | Mar 3, 2008 6:05:43 PM
Its hard to respond to this without ranting like a crazy woman, but, no these photos aren't acceptable. And the reason is not because I object to seeing bottoms everywhere or that I'm obviously jealous because mine is fat and spotty and clears the beach when I duckdive in a thong.
Its because there is a clear double standard between the representation of women in surfing and men, which doesn't allow women a equal shot as surfers and keeps them as bikini babes on the beach. And in this day and age that just isn't acceptable.
Posted by: barbiewarrior | Mar 3, 2008 9:21:53 PM
Guess what I think? I've been through this movie before at http://www.s-e-x-wax.com/2008/01/reef-surf-sexploitation.html
Posted by: Beach Bum | Mar 4, 2008 12:17:18 AM
Sex sells, mainly men by surf magazines and even so, women appreciate the female form to. It's a no brainer, long may reef adverts adorn magazines :D.
The only caveat to this is Pit Pilot taking it one step further (too far??) and verging on Smut. But no one is forcing anyone to buy a smut riddled magazine or one with classy reef adverts in!
Posted by: Olly B | Mar 5, 2008 10:05:51 AM
To those who think it's ok, what would your reaction be if a surf company advertised their boards with a shot of Kelly Slater's pert arse in a thong, with no mention that he was Kelly Slater or in any way a good surfer, and no shot of his face or head?
Would that not make him ridiculous? Would you take him seriously as a surfer just on that photo? Probably not, I'll guess.
And it's not that "it's normal for women to be naked and sex sells and other women like to see women's bodies", it's a bit more complex than that.
Posted by: Aye Aye | Mar 5, 2008 4:52:54 PM