Many SI Swimsuit advertisers drop. More to go!

By: American Decency Staff

As research and common sense indicate, those who view (or read) pornography are soon not satisfied with the material they consume and so escalate to more explicit and extreme forms of pornography. 

Not only do we know this, but so do the publishers of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine.  This so-called swimsuit magazine has been and still is a “gateway drug” to harder and harder forms of pornography – especially for young boys.  And so to keep this money-making issue flying off the magazine racks, Sports Illustrated ratchets up the shock value every year.

As we recently wrote, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine is pornographic and damaging – a phony version of Playboy. 

And don’t let the name fool you – Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is pornography.  Each year the magazine pushes the erotic imagery even further.  In 1982 the cover model wore a one-piece bathing suit – in recent years (including this year) SI Swimsuit features topless women on the cover.  And the magazine content is more of the same – dozens of erotic photos of topless or completely nude women.  For a so-called “swimsuit” magazine, there is very little cloth worn – and the only female athletes featured are posing naked covered only in body paint.

We at American Decency have been one of the very few voices over the years warning of this concerning magazine, urging stores not to carry it and corporations not to advertise in it.

And the advertisers also get in on the act.  In some cases there is no difference between the erotic advertisements and the Sports Illustrated photo displays as corporations use sexual imagery to sell their products.  The worst offenders this year were Lexus, Wagner brake pads, and Lane Bryant.

However, we have noted in recent years that there are fewer and fewer mainline corporations advertising in Sports Illustrated swimsuit.   We believe that, as you have stood with us, we have had an impact as we’ve held the advertisers accountable each year.

In fact, only 33 advertisers chose to run ads in the 2016 SI Swimsuit magazine.  This was down from 37 advertisers in 2015, 43 advertisers in 2014, and 46 advertisers five years ago in 2011.  (In addition, the number of sexualized ads is also down from previous years.)

Of the 37 SI Swimsuit advertisers in 2015 – 22 did not return to advertise in 2016 after hearing from many of you, our readers!

Yet there are still numbers of advertisers who need to hear from you!

Among them are Lexus, Toyota, Lane Bryant clothing, H&R Block, MasterCard, Snickers candy, Honda, and Reebok.   Click here to send a message to these companies empowering this trash.

For a complete list of this year’s advertisers, click here.

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American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

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