Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Oh BBC home page picture editor could you be more annoying?

107 replies

Trou · 27/01/2020 17:11

This story is about normal-bodied middle aged presenter investigating swimming as a health activity. So why have an image of a super thin model in a too-small cozzy as the click-through image on the home page?
Also
Imagine the disappointment of those who do like a young ladle-ogle when they find the reality is Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall in a pair of swimming trunks.

Oh BBC home page picture editor could you be more annoying?
Oh BBC home page picture editor could you be more annoying?
OP posts:
Fieldofgreycorn · 27/01/2020 17:49

No idea of the problem.

The article is nothing to do with the person in the picture. They’re using the picture as ‘decoration’ to ‘sex up’ the article to draw in clicks.

Strongmummy · 27/01/2020 17:46

@langittleclegabbage I’m a swimmer, I look like that. I also lift weights. Apologies if my physique offends.

Agree re: costume, but I have seen swimmers in open water swim in similar. They’re just not in training and are taking it easy

LangittleClegabbage · 27/01/2020 17:38

1) she’s not super thin; she has muscle definition 2) she looks like she’s a swimmer 3) This doesn’t look like a model shot and she very well could be a real life open water swimmer . No idea of the problem.

That is not the sort of swimming costume a serious "swimmer" would wear. Too likely to slip off the shoulders. Also, that does not look like a typical "swimmer's" physique to me.

Kantastic · 27/01/2020 17:34

Does anyone know why Mumsnet doesn't have an "ignore poster" option? It would improve the experience so much and nearly every other forum has it.

It does seem like we got to enjoy about a decade or so when women's bodies weren't viewed as window dressing. I'm sure the BBC pictures editor is responding to incentives and the thumbnail gets more clicks that way, but that doesn't make it any better. If any media organisation shouldn't be responding to incentives like that it's the BBC.

Strongmummy · 27/01/2020 17:21

@VickyEadieofThigh why is it objectification to see have an attractive woman in a swim suit....on a story about swimming. I’m 42. I’m attractive. I look like her in a swimsuit. If someone took my pic for an article about swimming , I wouldn’t feel objectified....coz it’s an article .....about swimming

Strongmummy · 27/01/2020 17:19
  1. she’s not super thin; she has muscle definition 2) she looks like she’s a swimmer 3) This doesn’t look like a model shot and she very well could be a real life open water swimmer . No idea of the problem.
VickyEadieofThigh · 27/01/2020 17:14

We thought we'd erased the objectification of women, only to find that it's front and fucking centre everywhere.

Swipe left for the next trending thread