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Paulina Gretzky’s Sexy Cover Reaps Wrath From Pros

By David Dunford
Published on: 01:24 PST, Apr 5, 2014

Controversy is abound for the beautiful heart-throb Paulina Gretzky over the recent cover she did for Golf Digest magazine. Many pro golfers find the lustful cover too provocative for their liking, condemning the issue for using sex to boost their sales. And while scantily clad women do increase sales, many PGA members feel it has no place in their sport.

“You know the old saying, sex sells,”pro golfer Angela Stanford said while speaking with USA Today. “And nobody can argue with that. It’s just the way it is. But the LPGA has some attractive women and very fit women, so why not use them? I’m just baffled by it.”

While Gretzky herself admits she isn’t much of a golfer, bearing her embarrassment to the world in her article in the Digest, questions arise as to why she even needed to be there in the first place. The cover will definitely bring more revenue to the publication, just as it did the last two times it used famous, beautiful women on their covers, but readers and golfers alike share an inner recoiling at the thought of Golf Digest becoming little more than another Sports Illustrated flesh magnet. While this doesn’t seem to be much of a concern for Paulina, what the cover represents to the women who play the sport professional is far from appealing.

“It’s the state of where we’ve always been. We don’t get the respect for being the golfers we are,” stated Stacy Lewis, a top-notched pro golfer, to USA Today. “Obviously, Golf Digest is trying to sell magazines, but at the same time you like to see a little respect for the women’s game.”

While Paulina Gretzky’s photo isn’t overtly sexual, the mere context of why she is there in the first place makes many feel that the media is incapable of changing with the time. With women’s rights exploding with great clamor across the globe, Gretzky’s image on the otherwise inconspicuous sports mag’s cover feels like a kick in the teeth to all that have worked so hard to bring the objectification of women to the forefront. This is doubled by the fact that Paulina isn’t really a golfer herself, and her image distracts viewers away from the talent of female golfers simply to appeal to male hormones. The watery response given by Golf Digest‘s editor in chief, Jerry Tarde, shows he has no concept of how this simple cover can damage the real equality women are trying to build for themselves.

“Sports figures, celebrities and models have appeared on Golf Digest covers since the magazine’s beginning,” Tarde slathered in a recent statement. “Paulina ranks at the high-end of the golf celebrity scene today, and she has a compelling story to tell. She also might get some new people interested in the game.”

This leaves many wondering why Mr. Tarde believes the exploitation of the female body is better than talented professionals when his interest is getting a new audience to enjoy the sport.

The outrage Paulina’s cover has created did force the magazine to post a reaction on their website which they hope will bandage the wound they have created, generically throwing up the words “What’s Paulina Gretzky doing on the cover of Golf Digest?” In it, Tarde rebuttals his previous words articulating his belief that all is good, even though the rest of the country still disagrees.

“[Paulina Gretzky is] as much a subject of fascination at tournaments as the guy she’s there watching,” adding”she’s an attractive, fit woman who — like many of our prospective readers — is fairly new to golf… she seemed a natural cover subject for our second annual issue devoted to fitness.”

But is a sports bra and work-out pants really more natural to golf than, say, a golfer’s outfit? It really doesn’t seem like something we would see turning on the television to watch the PGA tournament.

While Gretzky is beautiful and deserving of praise for how in shape she has kept her body, Golf Digest could have gone to better lengths to appeal to all the fans of golf, not just the ones with the ability to grow beards. Paulina may be walking away with a fat paycheck, but with yet another sexist cover under the magazine’s belt, women in general walk away with a well vindicated shake of their heads.

See Paulina Gretzky’s Halloween outfit and judge for yourself if she likes to take things too far. Our very own Dan Evon covers the story: http://inquistr.wpengine.com/381365/paulina-gretzky-shows-off-sexy-halloween-costumes/

Or you can race to see the controversial images yourself right from the source: http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2014-05/paulina-gretzky-photos#slide=1

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