The Iconic Maria Sharapova Swimsuit Photoshoot – Controversial Or Empowering?
Russian tennis sensation Maria Sharapova has to be one of the most attractive women in sports. However, this is also something that has been a point of many controversies in the past. The overt sexualization of the athlete has often crossed the border into misogyny and objectification.
In fact, Maria’s first-round match at Wimbledon 2003 against Ashley Harkleroad was dubbed as “the battle of the babes”. The 16-year-old Maria also had to face the borderline grotesque questions of the reporters in the post-match presser.
However, another very contestable part of Maria’s life was a photoshoot she did in the year 2006. This was done with Sports Illustrated, a magazine that was infamous at the time for its revealing photoshoots of female athletes.
At the time, it reached 64 million adults in the US alone. Clad in a swimsuit, Maria was one of the key attractions of that edition. The magazine had already featured the likes of Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. A young Maria was about to get her own moment that would make her the next biggest attraction in the world of sports.
Let’s find out some more details and look at some pictures from the iconic photoshoot.
