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See why some are calling Sports Illustrateds swimsuit issue the Sexploitation Issue
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On Saturday, Sports Illustrated with unveil the new edition of its annual swimsuit issue. And it's not exactly family-friendly, or kind to women. - photo by Herb Scribner
The upcoming Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue has caused a bit of a stir recently, with some critics saying that it sexually exploits women in the magazine.

This critique comes from the National Center of Sexual Exploitation, which has since dubbed the swimsuit issue as the Sexploitation Issue in a recently released statement.

In fact, the NCSE is hoping the retailers and supermarkets will remove the issue from its shelves before it hits stores later this month.

Sports Illustrateds Swimsuit Issue should be renamed the Sexploitation Issue, Dawn Hawkins, the executive director of the NCSE, said in the release. This magazine has a long history of sexually objectifying women for sport, and any store that displays SIs February issue is sending the message that it agrees womens bodies are for public consumption.

But its not just the magazine that Hawkins has had qualms with. The issues reveal will be broadcast live on TNT on Feb. 13 in accordance with the NBA All-Star Game. Because of this, Hawkins said that TNT and any other sports media that cover the event are furthering the issue of sexual exploitation in the media.

This reveal comes at whats been an already hectic last few months for the sexual portrayal of women in sports. Hawkins said theres been a number of stories recently about sex trafficking at the Super Bowl, a sign that sexual exploitation is a rapidly occurring issue in America today. This magazine reveal only furthers that claim, she says.

Just last week there was a torrent of media about the tragedy of sex trafficking at the Super Bowl, and now Sports Illustrated, a prominent sports news source, is promoting the commodification of womens bodies as sexual objects for personal entertainment, Hawkins said in the release. A publication that denigrates women by portraying them as ornamental objects for sexual pleasure is a publication that perpetuates a toxic culture of sexual exploitation and inequality.

The organization is asking concerned citizens to contact their local WalMarts, Barnes & Nobles and Kroger shops to ask them to remove the issue.

This is far from the first time that the Sports Illustrated magazine has troubled American families. Last year, supermarket chain Safeway received 31,000 complaints over the magazines cover, mainly because the cover showed part of cover star Hannah Davis pubic bone, Breitbart reported.

Safeway eventually agreed to place the magazine in its own shipping display, which covers the bottom two thirds of the magazine, Safeway said.

Its not exactly new news that Sports Illustrated has a sexual cover or has sexual content. Its mainly the reason why the magazine brings in close to $1 billion every year and generates close to 7 percent of Sports Illustrateds total revenue.

But what also makes this magazine successful is that it comes at a time when sexual content is almost in abundance. As I wrote back in 2015, celebrity Kim Kardashian showed her entire body inside Paper magazine, and even mooned the world on the cover. She said this was a way to break the Internet that is to say, get a big social media reaction since it was social media that made her famous.

Similarly, there were many complaints over Maroon 5s music video in 2014 for the song Animals because it displayed sexual violence, particularly through a couple who constantly stalked each other. The lead character in the video was a butcher who had sexual desire to be with a female customer. This video came out around the same time that NFL star Ray Rice allegedly attacked his wife and sexual assault and violence was a hot-button issue, creating even more controversy.

And even once family-friendly entertainment has become more sexual. When the new The Muppets show debuted in fall 2015, critics pointed out how the show relied on sexual humor and scenarios for laughs, rather than witty comedy and culture-laden commentary.

But these types of media arent what families want. In fact, about 1 in 4 American families cited sexual permissiveness in society as one of the growing problems in American culture, according to the American Family Survey. Its viewed as a bigger problem than the decline in religion and even crime or threat to personal safety.

Even from a marketing standpoint, sexual content has proven not to be the golden nugget in advertising as the phrase sex sells has made it out to be. A 2014 study from the academic journal Psychological Bulletin found that television commercials with sex and violence dont sell as well as ones with neutral themes, Bloomberg reported.

Thats because sexual content and violence tend to take the viewers mind off of the actual item thats advertised, making them less interested in buying that product.

This study, which analyzed 53 different experiments, also found that sexual advertisements can not only take viewers minds off a brand, but damage the brand altogether. People tend to view sexual content in a more negative light, the study said, which could have long-term effects on magazines like Sports Illustrated.

Brands advertised in violent contexts will be remembered less often, evaluated less favorably, and less likely to be purchased than brands advertised in nonviolent media, Brad Bushman, a professor of communication at the Ohio State University, told Bloomberg.

So maybe a sexual issue of Sports Illustrated isnt a good idea after all, especially since Sports Illustrated, like many other print platforms, has been on the decline. The circulation numbers dropped from 3,065,507 in 2013 to 3,043,698 in 2014 a seemingly small yet significant drop.

It never helps to have violence and sex in commercials, Bushman said. It either hurts, or has no effect at all.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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