Sections

Swimsuit issue exists to entertain sexist men

TO THE DAILY:

This letter is in response to Michael Rosenberg's column in the Daily ("Sportsmen of the beer salute Sports Illustrated," 2/15/96). As a female reader of Sports Illustrated, I find it highly sexist and ignorant for Michael to assume that women don't read Sports Illustrated. Although the majority of Sports Illustrated readers may be male, I think that it is rude to assume that women, because we are women, aren't interested in reading about sports. I disagree with the swimsuit issue on the grounds that if it is a so-called swimsuit issue, why are the women only wearing portions of the swimsuits. We all know that Sports Illustrated isn't attempting to sell or advertise swimsuits. If you want to claim that the swimsuit edition exists to sell swimsuits, don't you think that they should have men in swimsuits, because you just said it was a swimsuit magazine. I know Sports Illustrated will never abandon the swimsuit issue, but at least they could make it a little less sleazy or maybe they could just make it more equal for women readers and include men in swimsuits too.

KATHY MANN

LSA SENIOR