I suppose I've enjoyed my non-controversial run here at Wide Open Country enough. We're gathered here today for a story: one about Gayle King, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, and a truly ridiculous, overblown series of reactions.
This particular tale begins, as most do nowadays, on the internet. Specifically, a clip of CBS Mornings. Gayle King, who really needs no introduction at this point, is surprised (yeah, surprised, but bear with me) by her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover reveal.
SURPRISE: Our very own @GayleKing is one of this year’s @SI_Swimsuit cover stars!
Gayle reacts to seeing her cover for the very first time: “I cannot get over it.” pic.twitter.com/soZqftmYnu
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) May 14, 2024
Even though she reacted as if someone took candid photos of her she didn't know about, I'm sure it must've been surreal to actually see the cover in living color. All in all, it's a wholesome moment! It's not every day a person nearing their 70s gets to show off on the cover of a magazine. But, of course... the court of public opinion can be a vicious one.
Gayle gets an Ozempic subscription and now she’s on SI swimsuit. Lol. What a giant attention seeking hypocrite. Oprah too.
— WoodySims (@WoodySims) May 14, 2024
Is King a perfect person free of criticism? Absolutely not! Is there something to be said about celebrities platforming a medicine that's primarily intended for diabetics, but then making it a trendy lose-weight-quick scheme? Yes! However, to conflate all of those valid criticisms and throw that energy into King being on the cover of a magazine is... weird. It's just weird.
That magazine is a shell of its former self
— Austin Bradley (@AustinScotch101) May 14, 2024
Because the majority of the cover stars for SI and SIS still aren't traditionally young and "conventionally attractive."
Gayle King, Sports Illustrated, And The Benefits Of Getting Over Yourself
I could show y'all all the comments calling King fat, saying she isn't worthy, that she and Oprah are the scum of the Earth, but we'll stop it there for now and pull back a bit.
SI Swimsuit has photographed some of the most beautiful women in the world. But, what makes each photo shoot so special, and each image so gorgeous, is the breathtaking, exotic background against which each model is captured. https://t.co/H5TL4TYVHW
— Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) May 14, 2024
That up there? That's the standard for Sports Illustrated. 80%-90% of the cover stars look like that. But the instant anything different pops up, suddenly, it's an affront. A disaster. A "reflective" callback to the days of yore when corporations didn't have to cater to the others. I suspect we aren't quite ready for that conversation, though, so for now, we'll calmly close the curtain and go about our lives!
Also, for the image-obsessed weirdos out there, you realize you have safe spaces on the internet for all that, right? I can't link any of them here, obviously, but go be odd and creepy over there. In the corner. Then, do something productive with yourself. Preferably, something involving a couch and a mental health expert.
