Due to copyright, neither Bethlehem Shoals nor I can lift the picture that accompanied his FanHouse article about Lauren Jackson based on her performance in the Seattle Storm's 79-66 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday.
But take a look at that picture here.
Then read this:
freedarko.com: She Loves You Too
Back to Jackson: do a photo search for her, and you'll find plenty of shots of the league's intimidating MVP nude, semi-nude, or modeling skimpy bathing suits. Without her Joker-esque get-up, Jackson isn't just striking, she's pretty damn hot. She knows it, and wants you to know, too. But not on the court. And if the WNBA has any concerns about its best player willingly objectifying herself, they are hard-pressed to voice them -- since when she plays, Lauren Jackson does more to deconstruct beauty rituals than a whole galley of theorists could do.
The response from WNBA fans has generally been agreement thus far. From one fan via Twitter:
"@JaydaEvans RT @tollick @JaydaEvans Always got impression LJ tries to be herself&doesn't give a crap about stereotypes. Defies easy definition~BING-Go!"
As someone else noted, this isn't necessarily about Jackson challenging beauty rituals as much as her challenging the standards of beauty that we all expect.