1. Price 1
James Price
Dr. Goldzwig
Final Paper
April 30, 2015
Looking at Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition from 2010 until 2015 & the Ethical
Implications that Have Evolved Over the Years
Sports Illustrated is a magazine mainly known for delivering top-quality content to their
male-dominated audience on a weekly and monthly basis. Writers cover a wide range of stories
from the NBA to amateur athletes and their journey to their respective colleges. However, one
edition of Sports Illustrated, which will now be referred to as SI, has captured millions of people
and brought in almost a billion dollars in revenue with its annual swimsuit edition. Looking at
this campaign over the last ten years while analyzing the tactics and strategies will provide more
insight into SI, Time Warner Inc., their parent company, and how they go about producing this
particular issue that usually garners a widespread amount of interest and feedback.
Understanding SI’s professional code of ethics is also of interest because it will provide more
details on how they go about producing the swimsuit edition while trying to stay in line with
their own set of values and codes.
A professional code of ethics is generally seen as a set of rules and guidelines that
company employees should follow in order to live out the company’s goals and mission. Cheney,
a well-known author in his own right, describes the landscape of professional ethics for
companies: “Every business is concerned with compliance, if only for the purpose of satisfying
tax authorities’ reporting requirements” (Cheney 58). This quote is intriguing in the fact that
businesses are always aware of the legal guidelines of the professional world, regardless if they
follow them. Compliance is another characteristic that Cheney uses to describe how most
businesses operate, especially large companies who must focus heavily on ethics to ensure that
2. Price 2
everyone from the top-down of the company continues to use good ethical values when
conducting business. However, when a magazine like Sports Illustrated is trying to sell their
product to consumers and is trying to make money, there does not seem to be a professional code
of ethics present. Likewise, when a company continues to obtain a large amount of revenue from
a certain product, it is very unlikely that they will stop running an advertising campaign for the
sake of people’s disdain. Looking at SI’s and Time Warner’s professional code of ethics will
provide insight into their practices to see what they have deemed as acceptable and reasonable
means of persuasion and ethics. Getting consent, which deals with trustworthiness, showing
respect, honesty, and ensuring that a company is showing integrity to their clients and company
are some characteristics that come to mind when discussing professionalism and ethics.
Applying these characteristics to SI and their swimsuit edition will clarify some issues that are at
stake and up for debate and provide a foundation to judge SI’s decision-making skills.
The SI swimsuit edition, which has been around since 1964, has been a staple for Sports
Illustrated and Time Inc. and has continued to help both entities make money and increase SI’s
readership to almost a million viewers every time a swimsuit edition comes out
(Businessinsider.com). Hannah Davis, the most recent model to don the cover of SI, received a
lot of backlash, along with SI, because people were worried that they were sending the wrong
messages to young women who saw this cover and magazine. However, one could argue that this
magazine is not intended for young women so their argument does not seem as valid or strong.
Yes, younger ladies will be able to see this on newsstands throughout the country, but SI’s
primary target audience for their swimsuit edition are males between the ages of 18 and 35. As a
result, this content might appear to be more appropriate for older males to view compared to
younger women. Also, SI has also made a billion dollars in ad revenue since 1964, and this has
3. Price 3
become Time Warner’s highest-selling issue of all time (businessinsider.com). All of these
statistics point to one thing that might trump any set of professional code of ethics in any
company—money. In fortune-500 companies, the bottom line is to always bring in revenue and
increase profits. Yes, some people may object to the practices of SI, but if they continue to attract
advertisers and gain a wide readership, it seems highly unlikely that they will stop selling their
swimsuit edition. SI, while getting consent from these models, could be seen as members of the
media who perpetuate female stereotypes in relation to body image. As a result, their image is
vulnerable to taking a hit in the public’s eye, thus lowering their respect level to numerous
consumers. Yes, their intentions are not to objectify women and tarnish the images of these
women, but it seems as if the integrity of SI might be in flux due to an increased awareness about
body image and the messages that are encoded by companies similar to SI. By the same token, SI
has begun to implement plus-sized models within their swimsuit issues, but it does not seem like
a huge focus for SI, who might be implementing this tactic just to satisfy people who may have a
problem with only showcasing thinner models. As a result, SI may not be completely honest and
forthcoming about their actions, and if they are being honest, they are certainly not getting
approval messages from certain people. Also, SI could be seen as irresponsible because of this
raunchier-than-usual magazine issue (http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity). In the end,
the fact that their content is geared toward a male audience makes their swimsuit edition seem
adequate to produce to the public and more appropriate than most people believe it to be. SI has
also released this swimsuit issue for a long time so they may be appealing to tradition and
following a groundwork that has been created by people before them.
Two years ago, Kate Upton, a fresh and up and coming model, graced two SI covers in a
row, and this is important to consider because SI is notorious for helping women become
4. Price 4
successful in their modeling careers. SI provides women an opportunity to make money, a sense
of personal gain and accomplishment, while SI obtains more exposure and revenue. Helping
these future models out with their own endeavors could be justification for using these women as
sex symbols. By the same token, these women are posing under their own power and consent. It
is not as if SI is secretly capturing photos of these women and not giving them any form of
consent, but instead, SI is hiring professional photographers and has a boatload of highly-skilled
staff members who help produce the swimsuit edition. Responsibility is a characteristic that is
present because when discussing SI because they seem to be helping out aspiring models with
their career, a key notion to consider when discussing the nature of professional ethics. Helping
people make money and provide them with an avenue to showcase their talents is something
companies should cover, and SI does just that. Hannah Davis, the model who was on the most
recent SI swimsuit edition, had this to say about SI and its rich history:
“"I really admire models like Kathy Ireland, Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum," she said"They
used their SI platform to really do some amazing things, like have their own companies. I
think now I'd like to get into the business world a little bit. I've never really had the
resources prior to this, and now it's like the possibilities are sort of endless”
(http://www.people.com/article/hannah-davis-sports-illustrated-cover-2015).
This quote is simply a microcosm of how the models feel about SI after being able to work and
model within the swimsuit edition. Also, this shows that models are getting consent from SI, and
therefore trustworthiness, another criteria to analyze for companies, is prevalent amongst models
and the photographers of SI. Davis, who was minimally clothed, talked about SI in a positive
light and did not bash them whatsoever, an ode to their commitment to serving others and
providing people with an opportunity to work and become successful.
5. Price 5
This past year, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue had 112 ad pages, the most since 2007
(http://adage.com). This statistic shows the amount of money and focus advertisers are putting
into SI and the increased readership of this issue. Likewise, people can now view the swimsuit
edition online on their computers, cell phones, tablets, and other mobile devices, making it an
even more attractive issue to read. SI has evolved over the past ten years due to the fact that
people can go online and look at all the past swimsuit covers, watch videos of the models, read
In 2014, SI donned their cover with three models with their backsides showing, a key
element to what they are known for when coming out with issues. A lot of people had serious
issues with this particular cover because it was showing the woman’s butts with tight-fitting
swimwear covering them. That said, SI has for the longest put out issues with women posing,
which leads me to my next point—appeal to tradition. Melissa Payne, an esteemed writer for the
New York Times talks about SI’s history: The lesson here: Sports Illustrated isn’t doing anything
they haven’t done before, except maybe inexplicably sending Davis to a farm to take her “too
sexy” photo opposed to a beach, you know, where one might actually want to wear a bikini”
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/02/05/did-sports-illustrateds-
swimsuit-issue-go-too-low-with-hannah-daviss-bikini-bottom/). Payne’s interpretation about SI
and how it does not surprise her that they continue to push the envelope on the front cover
implies that SI has done this for an extremely long time, continuing the trend if it brings in
revenue. Si might be violating a professional code of ethics in regards to being responsible and
ensuring that the content is appropriate, but for companies, a lot are concerned with personal
gains and ensuring that they are meeting the bottom line. At some point, however, companies
must show respect to the people they are portraying and take into consideration their own
6. Price 6
actions. The tradition of SI’s swimsuit edition is important to consider because a lot of people
who work there now were not around when the concept of the SI swimsuit edition was created,
but they still can instill good values and show good character when trying to decide how they
should portray women in their magazine and on their cover.
According to CNCBC, the managing editor of the first swimsuit edition was looking to
create a magazine that could spark interest during the winter months of football and basketball
season (http://www.cnbc.com/id/34828908/page/2). During this era, there was not much
prmosicisuity, showing women in bathing suits that were socially acceptable, but as time went on
SI began to showcase women in less and less clothing. Someone could correlate more skin with
higher profits and revenue, and as of 2010, models have almost appeared naked on the covers.
By the same token, SI has made the most money for Time Warner Inc. for a single magazine so
it seems hard to believe that Time Warner Inc. would get rid of this staple issue. Again, tradition
and obtaining more revenue and profit for SI and Time Warner seem more important than being
deemed socially responsible. Genevie LeBaron, an esteemed researcher from the University of
Sheffield, talks about subcontracting and its ethicality in relation to making money: Few
academics, policy makers, or even NGOs have questioned the dynamics of subcontracting,
perhaps because there is no law against it. Such practices are generally considered essential to
economic success in competitive” (http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer). This statement
is relevant because it shows that businesses will continue to move forward with an idea if it
continues to make them money. If a company is questioning the ethicality of their own practices,
it seems that it may be overlooked if the practice helps their company thrive against competitors
within that particular market, similar to SI and their practices with the continual promotion of
their swimsuit edition.
7. Price 7
retail markets” With other magazines that objectify women way more than SI like Playboy,
showing women in swimsuits may not be perceived as bad as Playboy, which could help how SI
is perceived amongst members of society. Ismail Aysad, a scholar who looks at gender and
stereotypes, has this to say about advertisements with women: “Advertisements have been
criticized for showing woman as a stereotype for years and as a result creating difficulty in
understanding the changing role of women by society” This statement by Aysad could explain
why the swimsuit edition has been produced and consumed for such a long time. People have
become brainwashed by stereotypes and as a result, are blinded by the inaccuracy and incorrect
portrayl of women within advertisements. Men have not been used as sex symbols as much as
women, and Aymad explains how this objectification of women began: “Even the women image
in advertisement poses as a mother, wife, modern and working woman roles, debut of women in
advertisement as a sexual image was first time in 1850's with the use of illustration technique on
chubby women and women sexuality displayed in parallel with the sexuality highlight and
women attributed the visual of "watchable object” (http://journal.yasar.edu.tr/wp-
content/uploads/2014/08/3_Vol_9_35.pdf ) This observation by Aysad accurately depicts how
advertising has always been used to depict women as a sex symbol, and this could explain SI’s
justification behind creating and promoting their swimsuit edition to the fullest. There are rarely
any magazines that highlight men and their bodies because it simply has not been the tradition of
advertising for the past 150 years.
Sports Illustrated is usually known for delivering weekly magazines that deal with the
stories and features about current sporting events and features. Alongside these typical sports
stories comes the swimsuit edition, featuring women in body paint who are technically nude,
minimum to no clothing and posing in a sexual manner that conveys a sense of sexiness and
8. Price 8
promiscuousness. Without this prevalence of sexual or dainty women, the swimsuit edition
would most likely not sell a lot of issues. Fernando Possoa and Sandra Tuna provides valuable
insight into a case study done on the Cosmopolitan Magazine and advertisements: “Adverts for
men’s fragrances also use male models. However, the way they are depicted still differs
considerably from the adverts for women’s perfumes. Nakedness is less exploited, and models
are frequently depicted in more casual positions, emphasizing lifestyle rather than sensuality”
(Academic Search Complete) This example given by Possoa provides a concrete example of how
magazines work with clients to attract more readers, and again, appeal to traditional gender
representation values However, their readership for one issue is astounding, and the shelf life for
one magazine extends well past a couple months, an impressive feat for a company that has a
somewhat strong fan base and readership. For companies like SI and Time Warner, making
money to ensure the company stays afloat is a key ethical component to consider. Does this trend
of overlooking responsibility and character being justified and accepted just for the simple fact
that SI has made a load of money off their swimsuit edition. Some people may think it is okay as
long as SI is getting consent from of these models and tries to develop a good relationship with
these particular models. SI’s justification could simply be that they are helping others and their
parent company by staying afloat financially, a huge issue with a lot of smaller-owned
establishments. A lot of smaller magazines and companies may see what SI is doing and
implement it into their own campaigns, causing more havoc and backlash for simply going forth
with women being objelctified and viewed as sex symbols if it garners more interest and money.
Character is usualy measured when someone is not looikng, but for this issue, people are
constantly wondering about the ethicality of SI and their continued practices. In my own eyes, SI
seems to have pushed the envelope the furthest with Hannah Davis on the cover, but at the same
9. Price 9
time, consumers have the right and option to view certain things in the media and news.
Consumers have control over what they choose to consume so it seems mind-boggling that
someone might try and place the blame on an entire corporation. If people do not like the
material they are viewing, they have the power to stray away from this particular material to
ensure that they are not offended.
Sports Illustated is notoriously known for showcasing sports with long-form journalism
and other forms of writing. However, their swimsuit edition showcases somewhat risqué
photographs of women, and does not highlight a single male within their swimsuit issue. A lot of
people have had issues with how SI operates and seems to objectify women for the sake of
obtaining profit or revenue. Respect, character, trustworthiness, and other factors all play a role
in how SI is perceived and operates when it produces their annual swimsuit edition. While some
criteria shows that SI may be crossing the line in terms of their character, their trustworthiness
and responsibility are two areas where they are ethically doing the right thing. However, in terms
of making capital, SI seems to be overlooking their own actions, and even if they are not
unethical, SI continues to promote their swimsuit edition and obtain a fairly large following. SI
also is continuing to run this issue because it is tradition, and businesses are sometimes skeptical
of changing up an agenda that may affect the company’s revenue and bottom line. Looking at
other companies’ decisions and practices can provide more insight into SI’s practices and the
ethical nature of their swimsuit edition.
10. Price 10
Works Cited
Flanagan, Graham. "The Swimsuit Issue Is 50 Years Old - Guess How Much Money It Makes."
Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
GÜDEKLİ, İsmail Aysad, and İbrahim ÇELİK. "Using Woman In Advertisement As A Symbol
Of Sex: Cosmopolitan Magazine Example." Journal Of Yasar University 35.9 (2014):
6129-6137. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Apr. 2015
Hogan, Kate. "What's Next for SI Cover Girl Hannah Davis (and How Last Year's Cover Stars
Feel About Her Racy Pic)." PEOPLE.com. N.p., 14 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.
LEBARON, GENEVIEVE. "Subcontracting Is Not Illegal, But Is It Unethical? Business Ethics,
Forced Labor, And Economic Success." Brown Journal Of World Affairs 20.2 (2014):
237-249. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
Payne, Marissa. "Did Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue Go Too Low with Hannah Davis’s
Bikini Bottom?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Apr.
2015.
"Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Is the Thickest Since the First Bush Administration."
Advertising Age Media RSS. Ad Age, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Tuna, Sandra, and Elsa Freitas. "Gendered Adverts: An Analysis Of Female And Male Images In
Contemporary Perfume Ads." Comunicação E Sociedade 21.(2012): 95-107. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
