THE COVER OF THIS week's Philadelphia Weekly features writer Steven Wells in a backless hospital gown. And his bare ass is exposed to anyone who walks by a PW newspaper box on the street.The story, by the way, is about Wells' struggles with cancer.
Is it wrong for his bare ass to be offered to the public in such a manner?
16 comments:
i don't think it is. i think steven wells is exploiting himself a lot more when he talks about his struggles with cancer and i hate the fact that his will to share is undermined by a juvenile matter. i think society lives behind a socially accepted facade about nudity. I'm not a nudist in any manner but i wish i had the option of walking around campus nude if i wanted to ( with out it being a big deal) but we live in a nation where nudity is correlated to sex n sex is a taboo. a taboo because of how media, schools, and religious organizations present it. sex sells. so sex becomes a perpetuator of capitalism, which in my theory is an ideology nurtured by corporations to turn men and women into tools. money being the enslaving element. money brings you happiness. money brings you sex. money brings you power. it s all about money these days and humanity is secondary. ppl drive around porsches while children starve. billions are spent on war when homeless ppl lay a sleep blocks away from our capital. as marvin gaye said "Whats gone on". so many ppl stand aside and watch when instead they should be the change they want to see in the world. so all in all i say to you my friend let steven wells ass shine from sea to shining sea
Wow. He's very blunt in this story. I could never imagine going through everything that he has gone through, and will be going though for a very long time.
As for the cover - I think you need to read the story before you can make the judgement. He makes it quite clear that he doesn't give a damn about what anyone thinks. I don't think it's wrong, for the most part. It's half covered, I guess? You could say it's artistic...
I think a little ass is fine, I mean they have boobs in the back page..
I think it's fine. Not only does it draw attention into the story, it adds some humor. Anything for a little business.
Some little old lady near Rittenhouse Square is probably going to have a heart attack because she stumbles across this, don't you think?
No one is bothered that little kids walking down Broad Street might be exposed to this?
Won't someone please think about the children!
- George
(the teacher who is just trying to foster debate)
I am probably going to create the wrong impression by posting comments on two things dealing with nudity but whatever. I just want to say I agree with the anonymous poster about Sex being completely taboo in our culture. People freak out nudity all the time here. All I have to say is, to all the people living here who are offended and bothered by nudity, I suggest you never visit a good number of European countries, most of which are completely comfortable with sexuality and nudity. For you will be greatly shocked and probably disgusted by the media and journalism of those countries which print large format newspapers with nudity on the covers and television shows full of pornographic material.
Pervert.
- George
(the joking teacher who now wants to live in Europe)
bare asses are great... we were born naked, why is it such a big deal I hate our society!! religion does this...
I think the cover is fine. Boobs are everywhere, and if that was the ass of a woman, nobody would even be asking this question.
Go Steven Wells for sporting that fine ass!
The cover definetly did not make me want to read the paper. I remember seeing this on the rack and thinking, how ridiculous, what are newspaper doing in order to get attention. I'm sorry but this is not what i want to see on the front of a newspaper whether it is an alternative weekly or not. This is not something I want to see... EVER!
And why is his arm up like that?
Also, this should not be an image to go along with an article about cancer. When i think of cancer I don't think about a mans hairy but hanging out of a hospital apron.
I don't think it is indecent because it has to do with a serious cause. And because of the photograph it shows the uncomfortable side of being in the hospital. The picture immediately grabs your attention and when you read the article you see the sadness and seriousness behind the issue.
Cynthia Gallegos
No I don't think so because it brings a bit of humor to a little more sad subject. It's nothing to be over serious about.
I think this is a little over the top... it's not like its on the back page.... ITS ON THE FRONT COVER... I don't know about youy guys but I definitely wouldn't want my 6 year old son or daughter going through the magazine isle and seeing Mr Wells' ass. There is a limit... and i think the magazine crossed it there.
After reading the story I completely understand why he would pose with his ass out he's trying to draw attention to a very interesting story. And I also agree with an above post if a women was posed naked on the cover there wouldn't be a problem for example: the October 2008 issue of Vibe has R&B singer Cierra posing naked on the cover and no one complained. So they shouldn't complain about this.
I think that this photo was tastefully presented. While some people may get all up in arms about it, I think that you see much more female exposure in the media than this poor guys half a butt cheek. So, if you are going to question the ethics of this paper, why not protest Calvin Klein ads, or Maxim mag? These presentations are also widely available for children, and are presented in a sexual manner, unlike this PW cover.
I personally think this is funny. Though I do think it would be a little harsh for children to see, it draws attention to the magazine and story itself!
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