raftermania said:
Deuce, if the problem is with the "female teenage mind" then material like this is not the concern, but rather how teenage girls interpret it.
Well, no, not exactly.
The real problem is with viewing females as only having value if they are physically attractive. This is the overwhelming message being sent in photos such as the ones you posted, as well as with the theme of your poll here.
Absolutely no-one is concerned with the intellectual or emotional capacities of Kournikova or Sharapova - that's a given.
Young girls (not only teenagers, but pre-teens, as well) interpret this - CORRECTLY - as being that what matters most to males is the female's physical attributes, and that emotional and intellectual qualities are hugely unimportant. Young boys, as well, interpret it the same way, which shapes the way they both view and treat females.
The problem here is that real self-esteem is not found in physical attentions, or with any such uni-dimensional, superficial 'admiration'. Real self-esteem requires something of vastly more dimensions than the one dimension of physical attractiveness. Young girls, being inherently vulnerable and insecure, latch on to anything which promises them attention and 'affection' - only to learn later that such attentions are one-dimensional and hollow, and don't begin to fill the voids within them. And this causes feelings of worthlessness, etc.
It's far too involved and complex an issue to delve deeply enough into on a tennis message board so that all angles and elements are covered.
Spend a year working intensely with teenage girls, and you'll begin to see what I'm referring to first hand.
In the end, if something does drastic damage to many children's lives, I don't think it's worth the cheap and temporary - and largely imaginary - thrill that it brings to the lives of males. Men can live a healthy and happy existence without the inducement of such unrealistic fantasies. Young girls cannot live a healthy or happy life without genuine self-esteem.
Believe me - it's far from 'harmless fun'. For what this stuff provides, the cost is far too high.
