Lo Lo … or No-No?

(Photo Credit: ESPN The Magazine / Lolo Jones poses for ESPN The Magazine’s 10/8/09 issue)

Olympian LoLo Jones, an Iowa native (heck, she even graduated from MY high school), will be appearing in a “Bodies We Want” special in the October 8th edition of ESPN Magazine. The thing is?

She’s posing nude.

And I kinda have a problem with that.

Don’t get me wrong– I think her talent, ambition and drive for success is an excellent example to set for young girls. As the mother of three girls, I can always point to LoLo Jones as someone they should emulate. LoLo Jones proves anyone can succeed with hard work and dedication. As an Iowan, I am proud of her. As a mother, I am proud of her. As a woman, I am proud of her.

But in a teensy eensy way, part of me questions her motive.

There. I’ve said it.

Yesterday morning, on one of the area morning news shows they were discussing LoLo’s picture, and her decision to pose for the magazine. She was interviewed on a local sports radio talk show a couple days ago, and she explained her reasoning.

Apparently, LoLo turned down the idea at first. But then afer some careful consideration, she changed her mind. You can read the full article here.   According to the story, LoLo “decided she would do it if she could take a tasteful picture that would send young girls the message they don’t have to be skinny or starve themselves.”

Stop the presses. This is where a red flag pops up for me.

I am all for sending a message to young girls, because I think young girls need all the help they can get in achieving a positive self-image. Yes, girls need to be shown that they don’t have to be skinny, and they certainly don’t need to starve themselves.  And had this been used as a photo shoot in “Seventeen” magazine, or “Cosmo Girl”, I would see that young girls would be the target audience for the message she so badly wants to convey.

But ESPN magazine? I don’t know much about their main target demographic, but I would venture a guess that it doesn’t include young girls. I asked my daughters, ages 13, 12, and 9 (all of whom are athletes) if they have ever seen ESPN magazine before.

None of them had.

I guess I’ve gone against the popular opinion of those in our state, or at least those in our TV viewing area.  I even had a hard time responding to the poll they created.    Here is one of the pictures from the photo shoot, and she claims it is not airbrushed (you go, girl!) and you can even see the scars she has from doing hurdles over the years.  It’s an awesome picture, an amazing picture.  She’s beautiful, she’s in shape, she’s just gorgeous.   Here’s the poll that was on our local news station’s website.    

(Photo Credit: ESPN The Magazine / Lolo Jones poses for ESPN The Magazine’s 10/8/09 issue)

What do you think of Lolo’s photograph in ESPN The Magazine?
Love it. Lolo looks athletic and amazing. 87.5%


Disappointed. Wish Lolo hadn’t posed. 12.5%

(Results not scientific)

So… there it is.   But I could have picked either answer.   While I love the picture, and I do think she looks “athletic and amazing”, I can also say I am disappointed, and wish she hadn’t posed.  FOR ESPN MAGAZINE.

Bottom line, how is a “Bodies We Want” feature in a (mostly) men’s sports magazine going to send a message to our young girls?

What do you think?

9/11/01 – Still We Remember

I decided that this year I was going to participate in Project 2,996. According to the website, Project 2,996 was created in order to remember the lives lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

9/11/09 will mark 8 years since the attacks of World Trade Center I and II, The Pentagon, Shanksville, American Airlines Flights 11 & 77, and United Airlines Flight 93 & 175.

On that day 2,996 people were ripped from their lives. But as the media and society tend to do, they have focused on the killers. We’ve all learned more about them than we wanted to. On that day many of us made a pledge to never forget what happened. (Quote taken from Project 2,996 website)

 

 

 

Karl W. Teepe was 57 years old when he was killed in the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He was the father of two children, Wendy and Adam. Wendy had just gotten married previously in the year, and Adam had recently graduated from college. Karl was a budget analyst at the Pentagon, but don’t let the boring job title fool you. He was known for making the funniest faces possible when it came time to have his photo taken for his Army & Defense Intelligence IDs. The picture shown here was taken at his daughter Wendy’s wedding, and represents all you imagine it would. The glowing face of a proud father of the bride.

Karl devoted his spare time working on the home he shared with his wife, Donna. He took special care of not only the house, but his deck and yard as well. He had an avid interest in the Civil War and painting. His family fondly remembers him bringing out the slide shows every Christmas, regaling the family with years of memories.

Colonel Karl W. Teepe is laid to rest in Section 64 of Arlington National Cemetery, in the shadows of the Pentagon. (Photo by M.R. Patterson, June27, 2003)

Stephen G. Adams was 51 years old when he lost his life in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Stephen was the Beverage Manager at the Windows on the World restaurant, which was located on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower. He lost his life when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the tower on that dreary day in September 2001.

I had a hard time finding information on Stephen, but did learn that he enjoyed cooking, folk dancing and baseball. I do believe he had a wife (Jessica), but I am not aware of any children. I was hoping to find out more about this person so that we could all get to know him better, when I finally stumbled onto a website for Legacy, which lists pages for each of the deceased, with space for people to write tributes. I will include some of those here:

“I met Stephen in 3rd grade. We were friends throughout school, driving to work, going to proms together. He was a great person to talk to…He had the greatest blue eyes around. I will miss him.” (Sally B.)

“I knew Steve from Marlboro College where we attended some classes together. Steve would always go to extra effort to prepare in individual breakfast for me. He was an excellent cook and a most gracious host. When I think of Steve I remember his standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room watching to see if anyone needed anything else and rarely enjoying the fruits of his own labors with the rest of us. He was a very nice man and a good person.” (Trac Massey)

“As a student at Marlboro College, I had the good fortune to share some of that marvelous experience with Stephen. I will never forget his smile and warmth. He was a great cook, rustling up the best omelets anywhere, and a dedicated student. He had so many talents and interests….” (Chris Laing)

“You lived in my building, where I first met your wife Jessica twenty years ago. I was always glad to see your smiling face and remember how much you enjoyed your stint at French Culinary Institute. Your gentle presence was always felt by our fellow residents and I am so sorry that you are gone…” (Della Clason Sperling)

Rest in peace, Karl & Stephen.
************************************************************
Everyone that wasn’t living under a rock can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on September 11, 2001. It was a day of inexplicable tragedy in our country, and many have referred to it as the “day America lost its innocence.”

I was home on September 11, 2001. Caitlyn had just started kindergarten a couple weeks prior, and I was still doing in-home daycare. I was home with Courtney who was almost a year old. I listened to the Today Show in the mornings – not really watching, but just having it on as background noise. I heard bits and pieces of something that morning referring to an errant pilot that accidentally crashed into the World Trade Center.

I decided to turn the TV up and sit down to listen and watch the events unfold. Minutes went by before a second plane hit, and the entire country — the entire world– came to the realization that we had been attacked. I remember watching in horror as smoke billowed out of the buildings’ windows. I remember hearing accounts of other plane crashes, both at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. We soon were told that plane was intended for the White House.

To this day, I can recall images of people jumping from windows and plunging to their death, because the alternative seemed that grim. I acn still recall many survivors telling stories of hearing people screaming, trapped inside the building. Many made frantic calls to loved ones, attempting that last ditch effort at saying goodbye.

I was glued to the television. It was like a bad car accident. You don’t want to watch but somehow you feel compelled to. Since then, I have read books written by people that survived the attacks, simply because they had other plans that day. Maybe it was taking a son or daughter to their first day of school, or maybe they just had a dentist appointment that morning.

Even thought it has been eight years, the memories of that day are still so vivid in my mind.  I can only imagine how it must be for those that were THERE and survived.  I have a hard time reading books or watching movies on the topic, because I get this terrible knot deep in the pit of my stomach.  I bought the Flight 93 movie several months ago, and it still sits on a shelf in our family room, wrapped in the original plastic.  I can’t bring myself to watch it, because I know how it will end.    
We should all take a few minutes today to remember those that lost our lives, those that lost a loved one, and those that have contributed countless hours to helping in every way they knew how.

We should remember Karl Teepe and Stephen Adams.

God Bless them All.

Project 2,996

What’s Obama Going to Say to Our Children? BE INFORMED

Here are the handouts that were given to teachers for the Obama speech to students tomorrow:

Obama Handouts

You can view the live speech by clicking on the graphic below (I will also have the live feed of the speech in my sidebar tomorrow):

The transcript of his speech can be read HERE.

You can also see President Obama being interviewed by a student here:

Sidenote: Doesn’t that little boy just look so handsome in his suit and tie? And he is so articulate!

Finally, you can also view this PSA done by various NASCAR drivers:

Update: You can view the actual speech here:

Project 2,996

If you haven’t already signed up for Project 2,996, what are you waiting for?