What's Wrong With These Pictures?

I'm pre-empting the Isles-Leafs recap to comment upon the alarming photo spread of Alexander Ovechkin in Men's Journal. Now, I understand that this is a men's magazine and all, but this is beyond absurd.

http://www.mensjournal.com/ovechkin

Here's the link to his interview and some pictures of him and, as the magazine puts it, "the season's best... um, accessories." Hmm, what does that mean? you wonder, and then you see what the author means when you click on the first picture.

Enter the single most obnoxious and offensive... object (pardon my language, but that's exactly what she's being treated as)... in the spread. That is a very lithe, attractive blonde who happens to be naked in three of the shots, including the first two where the only thing she's wearing are some strategically placed soap bubbles, as she preens for Ovechkin in the bathtub. The third shows her pressed against him, (thankfully) wearing clothes, although not many- practically just glorified underwear- and a vacant, not-looking-at-the-camera-well-kind-of expression complete with hair over her face to appear sultry. The next two aren't that harmful (though who on Earth plays air hockey in suit, little red dress and heels? Jeans and sweatshirts, please!), but the last two unnerve and, quite frankly, piss me off: Alex sitting on the edge of the bed, something in his hand (phone? Wallet?). And the woman in bed, biting her finger suggestively while she attempts to cover her naked body with the comforter. The next picture depicts her naked once more save for his jersey.

What's wrong with this picture? Hmm, I don't know, maybe EVERYTHING?

I'm not trying to force you to think the same. I'm only saying that this is the epitome of everything I despise- the typical macho hockey player, assuming a position of power and masculinity (wonder why he's fully clothed in all the pictures save for his shoes?), while a woman is there for not much more than to entertain him and to gratify him sexually. You would think that we weren't in the twenty-first century, judging by the magazine's apparent indifference to it all. And why on Earth would anyone want to think that there was such thing as "feminism" or "gender equality"? Why, when women provide us with such pretty toys to play with?

I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed and angry I am right now. Shame on everyone involved here for perpetuating the incorrect assumption that women are only to be used as sexual objects. This spread would have been enjoyable were it not for the blatant misogyny depicted- the Q&A, which I got to once I was able to calm my fury at the photos, was quite entertaining. But cutesy words don't take away the sting of watching a fellow woman be used like this. I expected better... but perhaps I shouldn't have.

P.S. This is off-topic, but a very happy birthday to Isles D Mark Streit! He was born Dec. 11, 1977. :)