It’s never doctors or medical professionals remarking on this either. It’s lonely dudes who are feel entitled to female affection and adoration or chauvinistic toads who think it’s the duty of a woman to look aesthetically pleasing (which to them is thin).

AND it's ignoring that fact that America is already fat - not fat and fabulous (yet)... Just fat and sad :-(

Yes. No matter what happens, there will always be the “but she has a proportional body,” “but she’s still conventionally attractive,” etc. types of complaints. On the one hand, it’s like: we’ve got to start somewhere to expand the definitions of “beauty.” On the other hand: comments complaining that “it’s not enough”…

I’m sorry, but not retouched? I am not buying that for a second. She is beautiful and looks INCREDIBLE, but I don’t buy that statement. And if they are retouched, there’s nothing wrong with that. Let’s not forget what the swimsuit edition really stands for, y’all.

It IS passé! Thank you.

She’s still valuable because some people find that sexy and she has nice boobs. If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is.

It looks like a pose designed to emphasize her ample bust (the societally approved “good” thing about a larger woman) and hide the rest of her (the “flaws”). I personally think SI, and all “body positive” campaigns can fuck off. How about we stop reducing women’s value down to whether society has dubbed them…

If they wanted me to buy this issue they should have put a box of Thin Mints on the cover nOM NOM NOM.

I think you have to be a bit more circumspect when shooting body paint, it’s part of the illusion.

If it weren’t for this issue most of us wouldn’t know SI existed, and that would be okay with me.

Counterpoint- we’re supposed to be grateful to a magazine for deigning to objectify a woman who is closer to average size than most models?

Yay! Now every body type gets to be objectified by the male gaze!

Rousey is not wearing anything. That’s paint.

They airbrushed away Rousey’s muscles :(

Nobody twisted her arm to get her there, either.

I wonder if someone can explain to me why, in the name of all that’s holy, this stupid thing becomes a lead item around the world every goddam year? It’s one issue of one magazine, and it’s about as archaic and retrograde as it gets. Even Jezebel is covering it. Why? Why do people even care anymore? Explain!

And yet SI still manages to be so fucking boring I can't stand it. This shit is just so passé.

Man, that Rousey is a real knockout.

Cannot recommend IBR enough. I’ve been on it since 2009 and it has made my life infinitely easier (e.g., I can afford to buy food). Seriously, even if you don’t intend to see it to its conclusion of forgiveness after 25 years (I don’t), it’s worth seeing if you can qualify.