A US Navy Sailor Posing for Playboy?

[Anonymous]

I know this is an Army forum but I had to post this after reading the article just now.

http://www.navytimes.com/stories/navy19.htm

Am I the only person that finds something wrong with this picture? She doesn't feel she did anything wrong?

keeva6@hotmail.com

[Anonymous]

I read this article earleir today at military.com and, in truth, don't think it was wrong for her to pose. I don't think that her military career should have been mentioned, either in words or in pictures, and believe that was appropriate grounds for dismassal. However, had she simply posed w/o any mention of her Navy career, I wouldn't see a problem with that.

Any other opinions?

Michelle


:
: I know this is an Army forum but I had to post this after reading the article
: just now.
:
: http://www.navytimes.com/stories/navy19.htm
:
: Am I the only person that finds something wrong with this picture? She
: doesn't feel she did anything wrong?


ms65442@yahoo.com

[Anonymous]

I have to say I also don't think she did anything wrong even by mentioning the Navy. From what I understand she was one of the top sailors in her unit. What actually did she do wrong? In Europe we have soldiers that go to nude beaches on leave etc what is the difference here? Heck we can have soldiers do drugs, become alcoholics, commit crimes etc and get away scott free and all she did was pose naked in a magazine sold in PX so not like it is seen as offensive by the military. You'd think the service that gave us "Tailhook" could be a little less Puritanical in it's beliefs. Have never understood the hangup with the services and sex to begin with. Fact is she did not break any laws or regulations so why did they put her out? Would like to see a civilian court rule on this. If the Services do not want female members (or male) posing nude then they should simply put it in writing like they do everything else. I can't tell you how many soldiers I know who have been known to work in Strip clubs and bars on off duty hours. In short, they need to let people live their lives and as long as not doing anything illegal what is the problem? Besides you have to admit will do more for Navy recruiting than Top Gun ever did when guys get a look at the photos :-)

pritro454@yahoo.com

[Anonymous]

I see nothing wrong at all with posing for playboy. But when you are a sailor in the US Navy I don't agree with it. #1) She should have asked permission before she posed for the magazine. #2) They shouldn't have mentioned she was a sailor in the Navy in the magazine. #3) She should NOT have been in the magazine with her uniform on, it was small picture, but it was there. A US Sailor "IN UNIFORM" in playboy?

No, I don't think she should have gotten discharged that was a bit rash on the Navy's part. But I can understand why the Navy did what they did. Two words, sexual harassment. What do you think would have happened after word got out and more men that worked with her, men that knew her, saw her spread in playboy. There was even mention of men coming to work asking her to autograph it. Yes, she told them it's not appropriate at work but what was she expecting to happen. Pose in a magazine sold in a PX and think no one's gonna mention it? IMO working in a strip club is not the same as posing naked in a magazine for all the world to see. I'm not some prude that's thinking playboy = dirty bad bad bad. But I don't like that idea of a military woman being seen in that light, as a sex object. Some would say it's her choice if she wants to be seen that way. Yes, that's OK for someone personally but not when you mention the Navy, representing the Navy. The Navy is supposed to be about professionalism. No I don't think that soldiers who do drugs, become alcoholics, commit crimes are professionals either. Bottom line I would not have a problem with it if there was no mention of her being in the Navy or if she had at least asked permission. Keep your career as a centerfold and your career in the military separate. You want to be a naked centerfold fine, but not as a US Navy Petty Officer centerfold. You are supposed to have respect, respect for the Navy and respect as a sailor. Having your male counterparts drooling all over the sight of your naked body at work is not a plus.

keeva6@hotmail.com

[Anonymous]

Again on some points I agree with you totally., but you enter dangerous territory here. Why does she need to ask permission to do something that in no way shape or form has anything to do with her Naval career. If she has to ask permission to pose you can guess what the answer would have been already. So then what else would we have to ask permission for. Most of us can remember the day when you actually had to have you Commander's permission to Marry do we really want to see a return to those days? The Command already has to much control over it's sailors, soldiers, etc's private lives, we have to ask permission to live off base, ask permission to be seen if sick, ask permission to work in off duty hours, ask permission to go away for the weekend even if not on duty, have or personal vehicles inspected for safety before going away, have our living quarters inspected by the Command, etc. How much intrussion do we want in our private lives. This is a big issue already when it comes to people staying in or getting out. I at 32 years old have to have my living quarters inspected by a 20ish Company Commander who has maybe half the time in service I do. Shouldn't have mentioned she was a sailor why? You would think the Navy would be proud to have bright, intelligent, and being male here beautiful woman filling it's ranks, what is there to be embarrassed about. Would they rather be known for unintelligent, low achieving, women filling it's ranks? The only thing I see wrong is being in uniform in the photos, maybe she crossed the line here, but again we had soldiers in uniform at the Republican Convention, another uniform violation. But I see know problem with mentioning she was in the Navy. What would they rather have a sailor like her or those involved in Tailhook? I see nothing wrong at all with posing for playboy. But when you are a sailor


: in the US Navy I don't agree with it. #1) She should have asked permission
: before she posed for the magazine. #2) They shouldn't have mentioned shen
: was a sailor in the Navy in the magazine. #3) She should NOT have been in
: the magazine with her uniform on, it was small picture, but it was there.
: A US Sailor "IN UNIFORM" in playboy? As for the harrassment, if the men were bringing the magazine to work etc, then they are the ones that should be reprimanded not her, she was still doing her job and from what I hear a good one. It was those bringing the magazine to work that were creating the atmosphere she was keeping her private and professional life seperate. Also I read she did it to pay off some bills. Maybe if the Navy actually PAID people what they were worth she would not have had to seek a second job to begin with. You would also think that the Navy would realize by now that men are sexually attracted to women, and no amount of training, CO2, classes etc are going to prevent this fact been that way since the beginning of time and if we are to continue as a species we better be glad it is so. What is wrong with allowing a person to celebrate their sexuality in their free time as long as it does not interfere with HER work? It sounds as if her male counterparts were the problem not her. On another note I was stationed in DC when the first allowed women to be on the tomb guard at the Unknown soldiers. I was like finally no problem, but then I went to see her. They had this poor girl with hair pulled so tight under her cap it had to give her a headache, no make-up, no jewelry, dark sunglasses, dress blues with pants not skirt, and maybe I am wrong here but it looked like a sports bra to conceal the fact that heaven forbid she might actually have breasts!!!! oh the horror!!! I was like my God if they are going to tout the fact they are allowing women on the team I would think the least they could have done was allow her to look like a woman!!! I don't know why we have this move towards adrogyny in the military. I for one am glad there is a difference. If men can't handle the fact that the woman working with them may be attractive without harrassing her then they have the problem, not the female who heaven forbid may actually enjoy looking like a female. So again I see nothing wrong with her posing. Here was a female obviously proud of that fact and proud of her Navy career. You'd think again the Navy would be honored to have someone like her serving by all accounts she was a darn good sailor, I am sure they have far worse still serving. They lost a good sailor simply because she appeared nude? I think they should stop acting like Prudes and have allowed her to continue her career, maybe with a reprimand not to pose in uniform again, but to allow her to continue heck it might have even brought some much needed positive publicity to the Navy for once. Couldn't have hurt a beautiful, hardworking sailor with a modeling career to boot, instead of the average drunken, in trouble, sexual harassing, sailor we usually see in the press.




pritro454@yahoo.com

[Anonymous]

She shouldn't have mentioned the Navy. It's her fault for not knowing about the comotion that would become if it. Right or wrong, ethics, morals, whatever. If the wrong people find it tasteless and shameful, then she's the one who's gonna pay.

[Anonymous]

Why is it dangerous territory, it's only my opinion. She needed permission to do it because it did have something to do with her Naval career. If playboy hadn't publicized the fact that she was a sailor then it wouldn't have, but they did. Whenever a member of any branch of the military is involved in anything in the media they are treated like a spokesman/woman of that branch. They don't even address them by their name it's always like "soldier, sailor, airman, marine." The Navy shouldn't be represented like that, the military is not about being a place to express your sexuality. There is nothing wrong with sexuality, but that's not what the military is for. Like I said keep the two separate. The Navy SHOULD be proud to have a bright, intelligent, beautiful woman in it's ranks. But the Navy shouldn't be proud of a sailor being a sex object.

About the harassment, yeah it's the man's fault that is doing the harassing. But as a woman I know when you do things like "posing naked" it makes men feel they have a right to make a pass at you, gawk at you, they treat you like a piece of meat. Why increase the level of unwanted attention. I can see it now Petty Officer Jones sitting in the john looking at Sherri Lynne naked, doing....... Do you think sailors should be working in an environment where they don't even have to fantasize about what their fellow sailor looks like naked, they have it right in front of their face. Yeah men are always going to be attracted to women (some men are not) it's their nature. But it's certain things you can do, things you can wear, do to your hair, wearing certain kinds of make up, that make men look twice and then some. Yes, a lot of men are pigs, they gawk at us regardless of what we are wearing but, that doesn't mean we as women are supposed to push it even further. I'm not saying women should walk around looking butch and unfeminine because I LOVE my femininity, but a woman knows when she has crossed the line. I used to run in these tight little shorts and a sports bra, ha ha. No longer, why? Beeep beeep "hey girl" "what's up baby" "look at that a**" all types of crap. I don't want to deal with that while I'm trying to concentrate on my work out, so I started dressing differently. No, I don't hide my body but I wear clothes that are less revealing. Another perfect example my sister is a "dancer" she has XXX on her license plate I can't even begin with the horror stories and oh the things she wears. She comes home like "why are men always trying to get with me?" **sigh** Yeah, she’s expressing her sexuality but she is also attracting a lot of unwanted attention, she gets in a lot of trouble with men (yes she is a civilian) and that is NOT safe for her or her children. Bottom line doing things like posing nude is like a welcoming committee for men to make passes at you. When I get in the Army I'm going to want respect from my male counterparts, and I know I wouldn't get that by posing nude in some magazine and walking around base in revealing clothes.

You are talking about why are we moving towards this androgyny in the military. Because men say things like "she was distracting the troops and it was detrimental to the mission" yet something else to blame on women. It would be nice if women could walk around in the military dressing how they want but why give male chauvinists more ammunition. Women being a "distraction" is one of the reasons the military commonly uses to keep women out of combat. I have no problem with the uniformity, women are allowed to wear skirts and "conservative" make up with their uniforms. No? You can be feminine and attractive without taking off your clothes. The female tomb guards, it is the old guard if a woman has a problem with the uniform then don't be a tomb guard. I've seen pictures of these women they didn't look that bad anyway.

When Petty Officer White modeled for the recruiting commercials THAT was positive publicity, not posing in playboy. What men do with those magazines is enough reason to think twice about whether or not that is positive publicity. Military women have come a long way to earn respect, to not be treated like sex objects. Why have a woman like Ms. White to be the poster girl of women in the Navy? Also, why are you saying we should stop acting like prudes and let her continue her career? I said in my other post that I don't think she should have been discharged.

Keeva

keeva6@hotmail.com

[Anonymous]

Whoo boy we enter a touchy subject when we say "if the majority of people find it wrong then it must be" here Jill. Let me give you a few examples of what the majority of people find wrong in our society but it still continues why it is called a "Democracy" I believe here we go and it is a long list. Abortion, children out of wedlock (boy this is a big one but look how many single parents we have in the military), paganism (freedom of religion but if you ask the "majority" here most on Bases still think this is a very taboo subject), speaking ill of those in Command, alcohol abuse (funny a majority find this wrong but funny how many Class 6 we have on Base) the list goes on. Simply because a majority may find it wrong and ostracize you for it does not make it so. If I remember right at the time a lot of people thought it was "wrong" for us to break away from the British Empire, fight a war over Slavery, and yes even allow women in the Military to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Ok I'm not necessarily saying that its wrong because "everyone else says so"...I'm just saying, once you sign that enlistment contract, you've signed on to a lot more than you might have bargained for. If you're a soldier, you're rights are a lot different from that of a civilian. Yeah in this country you can do what you want to do. But it was her responsibility to know what the consequences were if she were to allow Playboy to mention the fact that she served in the Navy. To people ignorant enough, they might think differently about the armed forces just because of that one little article. I think it all boils down to the question of, are you a soldier or a civilian....take your pick. Of course I don't think it's wrong to pose Playboy, do what you want to do, I really don't care. But if the Navy didn't like it, she's the one who's going to have to take the blame. It's not like she was dealt a bad hand or anything....