Crossing The Line Between Boobies And No Boobies
November 2nd, 2008
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A while back, this post went up on Zen Habits. I have no idea what the post was about. In fact, I doubt many guys actually read it, because this picture was on top:
Photo by stephcarter
Notice the arched back, which brings all the other parts into alignment. I’ve learned that this pose is called an upward dog. I don’t know anything about yoga, but I take it from this demonstration that an upward dog is best performed in jeans and a tight sweater, possibly after having a boob job.
I checked the comments to see who was talking about the photo, but surprisingly few people were. And those who did were mainly just saying things like this:
“BTW, nice picture ^_^”
“Side note: That photo is, um, distracting. No? lol.”
“I would read the article, but I can’t stop looking at the photo. =)”
What? No one was bothered by this photo? That didn’t seem right, so I kept looking. At last, I found an angry person, whose comment has since been deleted. I’m not sure why, because hers was the best one. It went something like this:
“…It’s gotten to the point that when I see tits and ass being used to sell something that has nothing to do with tits and ass, I just assume that the site is worthless and move on…”
And then there was this comment from someone who wasn’t mad, but found the picture inappropriate:
“ummm, maybe I’m not as angry as Kathleen, but I’m really not getting where the ab-errific, boobalicious fembot torso fits in with what I THOUGHT was the focus of this site. I understand ‘fit body, fit mind’ but I keep seeing photos of skinny, adorable (racially-diverse, of course) girlie-girl models used to illustrate supposedly helpful philosophical musings and ideas. Might be nice eye-candy for the boys, but that’s what maxim.com is for. Can you bag the bimbos and stick with the real meat and bones (so to speak) of this site?”
This photo isn’t pornographic by a long shot, but it’s a notable departure from the usual photos on Zen Habits. It crossed the line from wholesome family fun to what could be Maxim’s “Girls of Zen Habits” photo spread.
There are all kinds of lines: profanity or no profanity, violence or no violence, politics or no politics. There’s room on both sides of the line, but it’s generally better to pick a side and stick to it.
Scarface picked one side of profanity, and adding a 227th f-bomb wouldn’t have offended anyone who wasn’t already offended. Snow White picked the other side, and adding even one f-bomb would have blown the G rating for no reason. Either side is fine, but if you’re going to cross the line, you might as well stay on that side.
But there are also some people who make their home in close proximity to the line. Since people are used to them being close to the line, they can cross it or not as they wish. Think Naomi Dunford and profanity, or Tim Brownson and hookers with chainsaws.
On the other hand, maybe I’m wrong and the line is farther out than I think. After all, there were only two complaints on that Zen Habits post. If that’s the case, and you’d like to see more boobies on my blog, let me know in the comments.
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:32 am
It’s not your fault, Hunter, but as someone who routinely uploads photography to Flickr, I’m very aware of the Creative Commons licensing system. The photo in question, as I look at it, is licensed under CC for attribution (which you followed) and no derivative works (which apparently neither you nor Zen Habits used it for).
Stephanie Carter’s modeling photo, as I look at it in detail, was not intended to be used for self-awareness or breast articles. To make a pun on your title, perhaps part of the problem lies in CC’s own terminology where it’s very easy to cross the line for “no derivative works.”
That said, the woman in the photo is wearing a ring on her left hand, telling me she is probably married; or at the least, taken. Thus, she’s clearly no Girl of Maxim.
Ari Herzog´s last blog post..Would You Watch Relevant TV Advertising?
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:19 am
Hi Hunter – A Lamborghini yesterday, a hot chick today, you’re in a mini retirement… hmmmm Could this mean you’re experiencing that well documented male mid-life crisis?
Barbara Swafford´s last blog post..How To Survive A Bashing In Blogosphere
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:09 am
That image was top in my Google Reader when I opened it a couple of mins ago. Lol.
Daniel Richard´s last blog post..Trick or Treat! Subscribe to Mine and I’ll Subscribe to Yours!
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 am
I have to confess to being intrigued when I saw ‘click here for boobies’ on my Twitter feed. And I’m not even male!!
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:36 am
I would love to see more boobies on your blog Hunter
I think that people who are offended by something like this are easily offended in general. CAn’t please everyone.
I do think that you must pick a side and stick to it, but more so for the principle of not confusing your audience and keeping a consistent message, rather than for not offending a small percentage of readers.
Think I’ll have to test out a sexy photo or two on my blog now
Conrad Hees´s last blog post..The 5 Lessons that Obama Can Teach Us About Self-Marketing
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:38 am
p.s. any idea why my gravatar doesn’t work on here?
Conrad Hees´s last blog post..The 5 Lessons that Obama Can Teach Us About Self-Marketing
November 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Wow, I saw that picture and it didn’t even raise a red flag. I wonder if that’s a reflection of being submersed in images like that.
Hayden Tompkins´s last blog post..Halloween: Behind The Mask
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I like boobs, but like Hayden said we become so accustomed to it that it doesn’t create attention if one over does it.
I understand your point and I don’t think you should go the low brow way. Yes, it works, but make sure you stay true to yourself. If it fits with the post go for it, otherwise stick who you are.
Karl – Work Happy Now´s last blog post..A Steve Pavlina Interview on How to Build Your Career
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Like Hayden and Karl, I’m pretty accustomed to images like that on a net. The thing is, as a hetrosexual gal, boobies just don’t interest me. I tend to skim straight past images like that.
(In fact, the only thing which vaguely caught my attention was the fact that I think she’s wearing a cute cardigan!)
So how many readers is Leo losing because, to them, boobies are boring?
Ali Hale (from Alpha Student)´s last blog post..Reading Week – Alpha Student
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Wow mentioned in the same breath as Naomi Dunford, I’m truly honored!
I throw inappropriate photos in for the fun of it every now and then, but the only rule is they have to make me laugh. Seriously, if somebody is going to get offended by the picture you posted above from Leos post, or by my picture, then it’s only a matter of time before something offends them anyway. IOW, they are looking to be offended.
I vote for more lewd pics Hunter!
Tim Brownson´s last blog post..The Skinny Of Raw Food
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I honestly didn’t notice the photo much and definitely didn’t notice it as inappropriate. Maybe because I don’t get inflamed over things like this unless its totally blatant. Maybe its because I’m hetro. Maybe its because I am a NATURAL 34D and assume all large breast are real unless I’m told otherwise, LOL.
As someone who has practiced Yoga in the past, I cant imagine doing it in jeans, but I have been to classes where I have occasionally noticed both men and women in their street clothes. *shrug*
Carla´s last blog post..Cautious or paranoid? Finding balance with green living
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Oh wah!! A picture like that can generate so much talk??!! It appears to be far more effective than writing a ton of words!
Evelyn Lim´s last blog post..Trick Or Treat?
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
@ Ari, yes, she seems to be married. Where did you see what kind of articles this photo was meant for?
@ Barbara, maybe! I haven’t had a mid-life crisis in a while, so maybe I’m due for one!
@ Daniel, does Google Reader have a “sort by smuttiness” option?
@ Anna, I figured that tweet would get a few visitors. Maybe it worked better than I thought!
@ Conrad, I agree, consistency is more important than trying to please everyone all the time. I’m not sure why your Gravatar isn’t working. Mine doesn’t work on some sites, and also CommentLuv doesn’t work for me on some sites. I wish I knew how to fix it, but for now, I don’t know what’s wrong.
@ Hayden, really? Where do you go for these images?
@ Karl, now I’m wondering what kind of blogs people are reading to be accustomed to stuff like this. I don’t see this stuff on the blogs I read!
@ Ali, you’re in the U.K., aren’t you? I know they’re a lot more lenient about sex on TV there. I’m not sure what to do about the “boobies are boring” problem. Maybe boobies and shoes together?
@ Tim, I don’t think I’ve seen any pics on your blog that were over the line. Even the one with the leather-clad gal in handcuffs that you thought might be offensive wasn’t close to this, in my opinion. OK, more lewd pics it is!
@ Carla, I think it’s safe to say you’re my first commenter to identify themselves as a natural 34D! Yoga in jeans seems a little weird to me, but I guess you have to be ready to pose whenever someone has a camera.
@ Evelyn, if a picture is usually worth 1,000 words, I wonder how many words this one is worth.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
[...] These breasts featured by popular demand. [...]
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
The problem with this photo is the fact that she is doing an upward facing dog in JEANS and a SHORT SWEATER. I don’t find the photo offensive, but I do find it ridiculous. As a self-respecting yogi, I find it a blatant use of propaganda because no one practices yoga in jeans and a sweater. It’s reminiscent of the Abercrombie ads where the models aren’t actually wearing the shirts they’re selling… in fact, they’re wearing no shirts at all.
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Wow … ummm …. I agree with Hayden–I think it’s a case of being submersed in filth for so long that we no longer notice its stench. For ZenHabits, it’s truly shocking, but for the internet it’s mild. I think another reason for so few comments about it on zenhabits was that it’s not a community of nay-sayers or slammers. Like was mentioned, each blog has it’s own “attitude” in the comment section, and zenhabits has a rather polite, “everything you say is doctrine” sort of tone to it. That’s a good thing, in my opinion, because that attitude diffuses controversy and makes for a more pleasant blogging experience.
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
@ Caroline, while I don’t know anything about yoga, I’m sure no one really does it dressed like that. I’m not sure how the shot happened. Maybe her friend had a camera and said, “Hey, could you do a yoga pose real quick?” And she said, “Well, maybe a quick one, because I can’t do yoga in this outfit.”
@ Oktober Five, that’s an interesting point about the comment culture. Leo definitely has his supporters, so maybe people thought, “Well, if Leo likes this photo, then I guess it works.” The only time I noticed lots of attacks in his comments, it was a guest post.
November 4th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
If you expect me to read your blog, please stop using images like these. It offends me. Please, next time get a picture with less clothing.
On a side note this brings up an interesting possibility for my own blog. My partner is a tiny thing with DD who incidentally also does yoga. She does it in tighter clothing and distracts me more than the above photo any day. Maybe taking a picture of her and using it as my header image will make me famous
!
Ya. Boobs.
NunoXEI´s last blog post..Republic Domain Special 01: Mainstreampunk
November 5th, 2008 at 1:22 am
@ NunoXEI, I guess you can see what your readers think of it! Someone recently spoke up on another post of mine, saying she thought the whipped cream girl is inappropriate. I was surprised she was the only one who objected.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Actually I respect her too much… as I respect all boobs and avoid using them to promote my grand master plans.
I can see why you’re doing it. You like to test new grounds and provoke thought, conversation and awareness. I respect taht as much as I respect boobs. Keep up the great work so I don’t have to!
NunoXEI´s last blog post..Republic Domain 040: Fearin’ Heights
November 9th, 2008 at 2:10 am
I skipped over your blog posts that had giant pictures of breasts and/or half-naked women, because I assumed (wrongly) that you went off the deep end! Still, I don’t plan on reading the other posts. I probably won’t even drop by, b/c I wouldn’t want to gratify such images with my tiny amount of traffic.
I really think that you’re fabulous, Hunter, but I’m not a huge fan lewd images. I say, save it for the bedrooms.
Now that I see what you’re going for, I protest loud and clear.
November 9th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
@ RL, thanks, that’s just what I was looking for!
November 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
@Hunter – I was so confused when I was browsing my feed reader, not going to lie
November 12th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I didn’t read the article until today. I don’t know if it was the picture or the length of the article though. Sometimes I save longer posts for when I’m in the mood for it. You did make me think about the picture though. I think it’s a beautiful picture. Problem is body minus face equals objectifying. Is she a person or a set of boobs?
November 12th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
@ Carol, good point, I think it would have been very different with a face.