Lange girl posters - Deb Armstrong

[Tricia]

How many ski shops, repair shops, garages, etc. sport this kind of imagery?

We do in the garage/pugski shop.

I recall another forum bashing Lindsey Vonn a few years ago because she was posting pictures on IG and FB with very little clothing on while she was working out and/or rehabing her knee. In fact I think she was doing some kind of rehab work in a pool in a skimpy bathing suit.
I said it then and I'll say it again....its not cool to get all judgy about these athletes.
We really suck at judging each other.

 

[crgildart]

We do in the garage/pugski shop.

I recall another forum bashing Lindsey Vonn a few years ago because she was posting pictures on IG and FB with very little clothing on while she was working out and/or rehabing her knee. In fact I think she was doing some kind of rehab work in a pool in a skimpy bathing suit.
I said it then and I'll say it again....its not cool to get all judgy about these athletes.
We really suck at judging each other.

Julia Mancuso's not shy about showing her curves and other activates off the course. Wasn't there a 10+ page long thread here or a similar forum with JM photos?

 

[Wasatchman]

We do in the garage/pugski shop.

I recall another forum bashing Lindsey Vonn a few years ago because she was posting pictures on IG and FB with very little clothing on while she was working out and/or rehabing her knee. In fact I think she was doing some kind of rehab work in a pool in a skimpy bathing suit.
I said it then and I'll say it again....its not cool to get all judgy about these athletes.
We really suck at judging each other.

Personally I don't have a problem with it. But for those that have a problem with it and criticize the marketing of female athlete sex appeal thinking it takes away from their accomplishments as an athlete or encourages a culture of objectivism, then at least it is consistent to criticize the athletes that partake in it.

Edit: another way to look at it is some could see female athletes as role models for their daughters. And to the extent they see these role models as promoting a culture of obectifying women you can see how they would criticize in much the same way male athletes can be criticized for behavior that is not conducive as being a good role model. And again, I personally don't see it that way but just highlighting what I think would be the thought process

 

[crgildart]

Mr. Clean gets sexy in Super Bowl ad debut

Mr. Clean has gotten buff -- and sexy -- for his Super Bowl ad debut.

www.usatoday.com

 

[SBrown]

Sex appeal is still rampant to sell a whole variety of stuff. Lots of female athletes actively promote their sex appeal (see my earlier post that had a link related to Instagram). It is what is. To change the culture requires a change by both genders which i don't think is happening.

The point of the video up there, because apparently it went over everyone's heads, is that young girls start out thinking it's weird, then they internalize it, and finally feel like they must promote themselves this way. Some want to, others don't; it's a free country, do whatever you want to do. I won't lie, I lose an ounce of respect for every cheesecake photo I see of a female athlete. But that's me. Of course sex sells. It's just a tangent of the world's oldest profession ... it's not going away. It makes me very sad to see what young girls have to deal with these days, though.

 

[Tricia]

The point of the video up there, because apparently it went over everyone's heads, is that young girls start out thinking it's weird, then they internalize it, and finally feel like they must promote themselves this way. Some want to, others don't; it's a free country, do whatever you want to do. I won't lie, I lose an ounce of respect for every cheesecake photo I see of a female athlete. But that's me. Of course sex sells. It's just a tangent of the world's oldest profession ... it's not going away. It makes me very sad to see what young girls have to deal with these days, though.

100% this.

 

[David Chaus]

I'll chime in from a counseling perspective:

I see a lot of teens (girls, some boys) and young adults with self-esteem and body-image issues. I'd rather not have such "business as usual" acceptance of the use of sexual attractiveness as a marketing commodity. It makes my job that much harder.

It's two-fold: not just people who judge themselves as somehow not worthy because they don't measure to the images they see in advertising and popular culture, it's also people who accept they are attractive yet receive unwanted attention.

We as skiers could be making skiing about skiing.

 

[Steve]

The point of the video up there, because apparently it went over everyone's heads, is that young girls start out thinking it's weird, then they internalize it, and finally feel like they must promote themselves this way. Some want to, others don't; it's a free country, do whatever you want to do. I won't lie, I lose an ounce of respect for every cheesecake photo I see of a female athlete. But that's me. Of course sex sells. It's just a tangent of the world's oldest profession ... it's not going away. It makes me very sad to see what young girls have to deal with these days, though.

Didn’t go over my head, that’s why I posted it!

 

[Wasatchman]

The point of the video up there, because apparently it went over everyone's heads, is that young girls start out thinking it's weird, then they internalize it, and finally feel like they must promote themselves this way. Some want to, others don't; it's a free country, do whatever you want to do. I won't lie, I lose an ounce of respect for every cheesecake photo I see of a female athlete. But that's me. Of course sex sells. It's just a tangent of the world's oldest profession ... it's not going away. It makes me very sad to see what young girls have to deal with these days, though.

You bring up a fair question/point. And the question is do young girls think it weird because they don't yet fully grasp sex appeal to begin with or because such promotion of sex appeal would not be nearly as innate or common if it weren't due to our culture causing it. I don't know that answer.

As you said, it's not going away (at least not yet). One thing I do think is humans are ultimately animals, and responding to sex appeal is a base animal extinct that we humans are not immune from no matter how intelligent of a species we think we are. And it's probably in our DNA that is not so easy to modify or erase no matter how modern we become. And accordingly, advertisers, etc know it's a very powerful tool

 

[crgildart]

We as skiers could be making skiing about skiing.

You could replace "skiers" and "skiing" with just about anything.. even vacuuming, driving, etc.. Everything we have advertising for..

 

[SBrown]

You bring up a fair question/point. And the question is do young girls think it weird because they don't yet fully grasp sex appeal to begin with or because such promotion of sex appeal would not be nearly as innate or common if it weren't due to our culture causing it. I don't know that answer.

As you said, it's not going away (at least not yet). One thing I do think is humans are ultimately animals, and responding to sex appeal is a base animal extinct that we humans are not immune from no matter how intelligent of a species we think we are. And it's probably in our DNA that is not so easy to modify or erase no matter how modern we become. And accordingly, advertisers, etc know it's a very powerful tool

Also a good point -- these girls looked a little prepubescent, too, which might be the main part. Same for your second paragraph: I only wish we could appeal to our higher instincts, not our baser ones.

 

[Tricia]

Since LV has been brought up more than once here.
This post from IG and FB hit home with me.
Its sad that we live in a world where people think they can spew hatred and its okay.

 

[Wasatchman]

Its sad that we live in a world where people think they can spew hatred and its okay.

Yeah, a whole other topic but I had to respond. I read how mean people's comnente are on the Internet and it shocks me. The meanness just horrifies me. On all kinds of news and topics. Maybe I can rationalize some of the meanness out there about LV pics to jealousy but there is just mean everywhere on the net.

And I think are they venting and aren't really this mean or does it represents their true thinking. And if people are really this mean and really can't empathize then do we ever have a problem.

 

[markojp]

The video makes more confusion than it points up.

"Female athletes these days are a different breed - they're skillful and they're powerful and they beat boys and they beat men" - Except they are not even allowed on the same courses. Put women racers on the Streif (again) and I might start believing that confusion stems from advertising instead of from skiing. Andrea Mead Lawrence could race on it - but it's too much for modern female athletes? Is it advertising that made that message? Or ski industry bureaucrats?

More confusion from the video:

"And everybody has the right to make whatever decisions they want to make". OK. I'm on board with that. But then, 11 seconds later "Every decision that is made lives within a greater context". That is mixed messaging there. Sure you have the right to make whatever decisions you want to make - and you will be judged on it 50-60 years later.

A few years ago, Debbie and a couple of other local women who were retired the US team had a beer league foursome at Alpental. They beat the men most all the time.

 

[James]

Nike 2010 ad posted above is an example. Nike is criticized on this thread but isn't Vonn complicit?

That was Sports Illustrated, not an ad.
But Julia Mancuso, Dominique Gisin, Tina Maze, Manuela Moelgg, Maria Riesch, and others did Lange Posters.

The only teason I know that is I shop at the one store Kevin hasn’t been to...

 

[Average Joe]

I'm not in favor of sending the thought police into ski shop backrooms and tearing down classic posters.
History must be preserved.

 

[Zrxman01]

Speaking of history.
Remember the
K2 ski boot ad that
Poked some fun at the old Lange girl ads!???

 

[Zrxman01]

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Maybe I've been going to the wrong ski shops, but I've been to pretty much every one in NH, VT and MA over the years...

However, the only times I can remember seeing "Lange girl" posters have been scanned in images online that are generally found / brought up because this discussion comes up. There are apparently "new" versions of these featuring Lindsey and Julia Mancuso and I'm sure others -- again, the only reason I know they exist is because I've seen scanned in versions in previous year's discussions of this same topic.

i.e., I have NEVER, in nearly 30 years of skiing, seen a physical version of these posters.

You haven't been in the back shop. My daughter went in the back to use the bathroom once and the whole shop was full of Lange girls, and she thought they were awesome.

 

[Tricia]

I'm not in favor of sending the thought police into ski shop backrooms and tearing down classic posters.
History must be preserved.

View attachment 113663

I've always been fascinated by this and was stoked to see the 1/4 zip come to live that commemorated this body paint.
@Dave Petersen designed it and had the blessing of Barbara Allley. in the production of it.

Limited Edition Hall of Fame Retro Women's 1/4 Zip - Pugski.com Ski Talk at a Higher Level

Limited Edition Hall of Fame Retro Women's 1/4 Zip

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Limited Edition Hall of Fame Retro Men's 1/4 Zip - Pugski.com Ski Talk at a Higher Level

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