It may be the American Way, but Judith Hanson Lasater, who co-founded Yoga Journal in her Berkeley living room in 1975, finds the practice offensive. In a letter published in the September issue of Yoga Journal, Lasater asked the staff to refrain from running ads with photos “that exploit the sexuality of young women in order to sell products or more magazines.”
Lasater’s concern is that the “pictures do not teach the viewer about yoga practice or themselves. They aren’t even about the celebration of the beauty of the human body or the beauty of the poses, which I support. These ads are just about selling a product.”
But isn’t that the point of advertising? Why should yoga ads have to be educational or elevate readers to the higher values of yoga?
In an email, Lasater, who writes extensively on the therapeutic aspects of yoga, told me the issue is not nudity or sex but a concern over “using naked women to sell yoga mats.” She continued: “I know that in the U.S. we use nakedness to sell everything, nonetheless, selling yoga mats with naked women does not seem to me to fit with the deepest values of what the practice of yoga purports (spiritual integration, compassion and selfless service). Unfortunately, some people seem to misunderstand and think I am ‘anti-nudity.’ Nothing could be further from the truth.”
From Rubber Yoga Mat, post EverythingYoga Ultra Yoga Mat
