Thursday, June 19, 2008

I entered Ana's world...and called for a rescue team

Ana Ivanovic is now the number 1 player in the world, and while I think her tennis is top-notch, I am not especially drawn to her persona. Today, I entered "Ana's World--an animated journey" on her website, and found nothing there to make me change my mind. The presentation is about Ivanovic's tennis--and her nude upper body. There are shoulder shots of a wet-all-over Ivanovic with nothing on, and there are full torso shots of a nude Ivanovic covering her breasts with her arms.

There is a place for photographs like these, to be sure, but not on the website of the world's number 1 tennis player. The Sony Ericsson WTA is guilty of marketing the tour via sex, as are management companies. Individual players, especially influential ones, should be demanding that they be recognized for their athleticism and accomplishments, not the number of Web hits triggered by one-handed surfers. The people who click on Ivanovic's photos are not going to buy tickets to Sony Ericsson WTA Tour events; they are not even going to watch women's tennis on television. They are just going to post crude remarks about their Ivanovic fantasies on Web forums.

No one supports Ivanovic's right to pose any way she likes more than I do; I just wish she would save certain photos--if she really wants to pose for them--for a venue that has nothing to do with marketing women's tennis.

1 comment:

Herzblut said...

well said Diane.......I couldn't agree more.