Is the "Sopranos"-themed cover of the April Vanity Fair sexist? This blogger thinks so.

The blonde is depicted as nothing more than a body; she is fully nude except a pair of blood red pumps.The photo is the epitome of the male gaze. We, the viewer, stare at her, an object, displayed in front of us for our viewing pleasure. Can you say "woman as commodity?"

Adding insult to injury, this faceless woman isn't even given the dignity of a name. In the photo credits all she gets is a tag that mentions she is "a friend" of Tony's.

Are we bad feminists? We were actually impressed by this cover, if only because it portrayed a woman who actually has thighs and an ass. But Jennifer Mattson seems to have been so hell-bent on making a feminist case over the image that she didn't bother to actually look at it. For starters, the blonde is not "fully nude"; she's got a high-cut bodysuit on. Secondly, the essence of Tony Soprano's character is that he has a hard time seeing women as anything other than controlling harpies (his mother, his sister, and, to some degree, his wife) or objects on which to take out his frustrations and desires (the girls of Bada Bing, Dr. Melfi). Hate the playa, not the game, Jennifer.

Vanity Fair, Shame On You! [WIMNOnline]
Related: Topless Bodies Found In Brainless Magazine [Salon]

Send an email to Anna Holmes, the author of this post, at .