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

[Trou]

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.

As I understand it, wild swimming is disproportionately popular with middle aged women. I am an occasional user of Hampstead Ponds and the user base is certainly older than this woman. Wonder why that is. Oh and yes, that’s not a suitable costume and no hat

@AbsintheFriends how is it unconnected? It’s an article about outdoor swimming and she’s outside in a swim suit. She’s good looking. Sue her. Yes they could have used one of the swimmers in the article. They probably would have used the very attractive one in the bikini. I’d hope that wouldn’t have been an issue.

Stock photos are used all the time. If they fit the brief I really can’t get upset about it. There are bigger fish to fry (no pun intended)

I was responding to the point that the woman was super thin. She isn’t. She looks healthy and has definition. It’s called context

No, you were deliberately inventing things and twisting what was said. This is not about you, why are you making it be?

@StrangeLookingparasite I’m not. I’m amazed how you can tell me that I’m doing things I don’t even know I’m doing 🙄🙄

I didn't say it was unconnected. I said she was unconnected - the woman in the photograph they used to get people to click on the article. She is not one of the swimmers involved.

They have plenty of photos of those swimmers. I wonder why you think they didn't use them?

Thanks for linking the article.

I'm surprised surprised that the name and story of the outdoors swimmer used on the clicky doesn't seem to be there?

(Not 😁)

Why not use the pic of hugh and the woman with the carrot? That's a good pic!

She just happens to be attractive

But that's the whole point - they didn't just randomly choose a young stereotypically attractive woman with flowing locks by random. This was a deliberate choice. Which is not representative of the actual people who the article is about.

Good basic rule for BBC news stories would be: no stock pictures; if you don't know the subject's name or it isn't relevant to the story, use a different, relevant picture.

I guarantee nobody with hair that long is going in to do any serious swimming* without at least tying it up - she'd strangle in it.

*face in the water and a recognisable named stroke

I love the "just happens to be attractive". Yep this stuff all just happens by chance. Again and again and again. No reason for it whatsoever. So disingenuous.

@BetterWithCheddar if they’d have used an image of one of the swimmers they would have used the good looking one in the bikini. Fact.
Whether you like it or not humans like looking at beauty. That’s why I can’t get behind this as a feminist issue; it’s about aesthetics

Whether you like it or not humans like looking at beauty.

Mostly male humans I suspect. I'd rather see a middle aged, ordinary woman in a proper swimsuit, cap and goggles who looked like she was actually there to swim. You're not doing front crawl with that hair.

Whether you like it or not humans like looking at beauty

That's not the BBC's role is it though?

I'd rather look at images which show the broad spectrum of humanity when I am reading a news website.

I know three women who are keen on open water swimming. One is about 40, one around 60 and one early 60s. I also know some women who train for triathlons, so I assume they also do some open water swimming at times. Not one of them is under 30 and although they're all very fit none of them has model-standard looks. Wet suit and cap would be far more realistic.

@EverardDigby I’d wager it’s all humans. I certainly do. However, I do take your point

So you basically don't think objectification is a feminist issue? Mmmmkay.

Whether you like it or not humans like looking at beauty

Aside from anything else, can you not see how inappropriate this is on what is supposed to be news website?

It's like putting Priti Patel's image up for a story about Boris Johnson. She's a politician, but more attractive and hey - humans like looking at beauty...

I’m not. I’m amazed how you can tell me that I’m doing things I don’t even know I’m doing

Many people have no insight into what they're doing.
By claiming this was about finding your specific physique unacceptable ( Apologies if my physique offends ), you made it appear as though someone was making a personal criticism of you which, while I suppose is not an actual flat-out lie, is certainly a major twisting of what had been said.

StrangeLookingParasite

I’m not. I’m amazed how you can tell me that I’m doing things I don’t even know I’m doing

Many people have no insight into what they're doing
By claiming this was about finding your specific physique unacceptable (Apologies if my physique offends), you made it appear as though someone was making a personal criticism of you which, while I suppose is not an actual flat-out lie, is certainly a major twisting of what had been said

I think your interpretation of what strongmummy posted is a major twisting of what she said. I didn't read it at all that way. It was just pointing out it is possible to look the way the person in the stock photo looks and be a swimmer.

StrangeLookingParasite

I’m not. I’m amazed how you can tell me that I’m doing things I don’t even know I’m doing

Many people have no insight into what they're doing
By claiming this was about finding your specific physique unacceptable (Apologies if my physique offends), you made it appear as though someone was making a personal criticism of you which, while I suppose is not an actual flat-out lie, is certainly a major twisting of what had been said

I think your interpretation of what strongmummy posted is a major twisting of what she intended. I didn't read it at all in the way you are saying. I took it to mean simply that it is possible to look like the woman in the picture and be a serious swimmer.

Oops sorry. I didn't think my point was so good it deserved to be said twice. Phone playing up.

@StrangeLookingParasite as has been clarified by another poster , I was making the point that you can look like the woman in the pic AND be a swimmer. I was just using myself as an example of someone who is a serious swimmer and looks like that. I know many other serious swimmers who look like that. It was too emphasise my point that the pic fitted the brief as (to me) she looks like a swimmer.

@AbsintheFriends no I genuinely don’t see how it’s inappropriate on a news site 🤣🤣. Are attractive people not serious enough to be used to advertise an article? Your example is ridiculous

@MrsTerryPratchett I don’t think it’s objectification.

Her physique might look like a swimmer but I swim a lot and can't recall seeing a "serious" swimmer in a costume or with a hairstyle likes that. IME it's practically impossible to find a fashion costume that doesn't malfunction in some way when you push off or dive in, and it's very difficult to breathe doing front crawl with a face full of hair.

She’s a normal, healthy weight and the costume is standard issue too. I love the fact that they chose a red-haired model too. Are good looking, slim swimmers not allowed?