Is `Sports Illustrated` perpetuating racial stereotypes? - KMSP-TV

There's often debate on the skimpy bikinis, lack of clothing, and alleged objectification of women when a new Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition comes out.

This year, the concerns are different though. The scantily clad models visited all seven continents and the debate is about how the people of those continents are depicted.

The modern feminist blog "Jezebel" bashed the magazine in an article titled "Sex and Stereotypes." The piece accuses Sports Illustrated of using race and class-based clichés to find exotic-looking natives and use them as props.

Images taken in Namibia--a country in Southwest Africa with an urban capitol, a modern banking system, and shopping malls--shows a touristy-looking model, the desert, and a native carrying a spear.

There's a similar sensitivity about a shot from China, which is the world's second largest economy. Most Chinese people live in cities, yet the photo shows a model ready for a rural river ride courtesy of a near-toothless man with a raft and a pole.

In a more subtle example, the website "Shine" points out a potential issue with a photo of some schoolgirls. The criticism, again, is that people are being used as exotic props and the model is not acknowledging the girls might not help.

So, is the criticism on target or overblown? Leave your comments on our Facebook page.