Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer poses nude for ESPN magazine body issue

From The Stir at the CafeMom blog:

Tennis player Esther Vergeer (pictured) is a beautiful woman. And a talented one. So why is her appearance in ESPN the Magazine's annual Body Issue being called an example of how the magazine has "jumped the shark"?

Because people still can't handle the fact that people with disabilities are, gasp, people!

The Bleacher Report listed Vergeer's appearance in her wheelchair as one of the most "vomit-inspiring images" in the issue.

Said their report: "She has a beautiful body. No complaints there. But doesn't it feel just a little wrong to be ogling a woman in a wheelchair?"

Oh. We get it. Women in wheelchairs can't be sexy. They're just disabled people, you know.

Unlike every other woman on the planet, they do not want to be desired. That's beneath them, you know. They must focus every moment of their life on being ... wheelchair-bound.

While we're hard-pressed to celebrate the reveal of a bunch of hard-bodied women like it's a major coup for femininity, a spokesperson for the magazine said: "ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue is a celebration and exploration of the athletic form, honoring athletes of diverse shapes, sizes, colors, genders, and race."

And Vergeer's appearance is a pleasant surprise.

Her stomach, while quite thin and very healthy, looks like she's eaten in the last few days. Perhaps that comes of sitting in her chair, a pose that makes it hard for even the hardest bellies not to pooch a tad. But we'll take it -- as we said, she looks healthy.

Even better, the paraplegic has made kicking ass her business since childhood. She recently won her 396th straight U.S. Open match in her chair.

Before she picked up racket sports, she dominated on the basketball court -- also in her chair.

So tell us again why it's wrong to ogle her?

Maybe because we should respect her instead? And give her props for being the whole package? Talented. Beautiful. And brave enough to bare it all.