It started as a bit of a gamble. Back in 2009, ESPN The Magazine launched "The Body Issue" as a direct response to the dwindling relevance of print and, honestly, as a high-brow alternative to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. They wanted to celebrate the athlete’s form. Not just the "pretty" parts, but the scars, the muscle mass, and the sheer utility of a human body built for performance. While the male athletes were certainly part of the mix, the ESPN female body issue photography became a cultural flashpoint that changed how we talk about women in sports.
It wasn't just about nudity. Not really. It was about seeing Serena Williams or Megan Rapinoe outside of the context of a jersey and a scoreboard. For years, the conversation around female athletes was often reduced to "are they marketable?" which was usually code for "do they look like models?" ESPN flipped that script. They showed that a world-class body looks like a tool, not a decoration.
The Shift From Aesthetic to Athletic
We’ve all seen the covers. They’re iconic now. But when you look back at the early iterations of the ESPN female body issue, you realize how radical it felt at the time. Most media outlets were still airbrushing every "imperfection" out of existence. ESPN went the other way. They highlighted the grit.
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Take the 2014 shoot with Venus Williams. Or the 2017 feature with Nneka Ogwumike. These weren't soft-focus portraits. You could see the tension in the muscles and the density of the bone. It was a visual argument for the diversity of the female physique. It basically told the public that there isn't one "correct" way for a woman to be fit. A gymnast like Aly Raisman doesn't look like a WNBA star, who doesn't look like a hammer thrower. And that’s the point.
The magazine stopped printing in 2019, but the legacy of these shoots persists in how athletes control their own brands today. You see it on Instagram every single day. Athletes are no longer waiting for a magazine to validate their bodies; they are their own media moguls.
Why People Still Search for These Archives
Honestly, the interest hasn't died down because these images represent a specific era of sports history. They’re historical documents. When people search for the ESPN female body issue, they’re often looking for that specific intersection of art and athleticism that's hard to find elsewhere. It wasn't just about the "stars." It featured Paralympians like Oksana Masters and Tatyana McFadden. It showed bodies that had been through trauma, surgery, and extreme wear-and-tear.
Masters, specifically, talked about how her body was a "collection of stories." That’s a heavy sentiment for a sports magazine. It moved the needle from "look at this person" to "understand what this person has overcome."
There was a lot of pushback, though. Not everyone loved it. Some critics argued it was just "softcore" under the guise of empowerment. They felt it still prioritized the male gaze, even if the intent was different. Others pointed out that while the magazine claimed to celebrate all bodies, the athletes chosen were still, by and large, the elite of the elite—the "1% of the 1%" in terms of physical capability. It’s a fair critique. If you only show the most "perfect" versions of athletic bodies, are you really challenging beauty standards, or just creating a new, even more unattainable one?
The Cultural Impact on Female Representation
The ESPN female body issue did something very specific: it gave women permission to be muscular without being "masculine" as a pejorative. For a long time, there was this weird pressure on female athletes to maintain a certain "feminine" softness to stay "likable." You’d see it in tennis especially.
Then you see a shoot with someone like Amanda Nunes or Cris Cyborg. These are fighters. Their bodies are built for combat. By putting them on a pedestal (literally, in some of those shots), ESPN helped normalize the idea that strength is a primary virtue for women, not a side effect to be hidden.
Think about the impact on younger girls. Seeing a shot of the USWNT players where they aren't posed to look "cute" but are instead shown in mid-action or in a pose that emphasizes their power—that changes how a 12-year-old girl views her own growing muscles. It’s not something to be embarrassed about. It’s her engine.
Realities of the Photoshoot: It’s Not All Glamour
If you talk to the photographers who worked on these sets—people like Peggy Sirota or Carlos Serrao—they’ll tell you it was incredibly technical. It wasn't just "show up and take your clothes off." These athletes were often doing their actual sports—swinging bats, jumping over hurdles, or holding incredibly difficult yoga poses—for hours. All while being completely vulnerable.
Most of the shoots happened in the off-season. Athletes had to be in peak "Body Issue" shape, which is sometimes different from "game-day" shape. There’s a certain amount of dehydration and lighting trickery involved, just like in bodybuilding. It’s important to be honest about that. Even these "natural" photos are highly produced pieces of art.
- The lighting is designed to catch every shadow of a muscle fiber.
- The poses are often physically exhausting to hold.
- There is a massive team behind the scenes making sure the athlete feels comfortable.
The End of an Era and What’s Next
When ESPN The Magazine ceased its regular print run, the Body Issue sort of transitioned into a digital-first experience before fading into the background of the broader Disney/ESPN corporate restructuring. We don't see the big annual "drop" anymore, but the influence is everywhere.
The current landscape is dominated by athlete-driven platforms. Players Tribune, Uninterrupted, and individual social media accounts have taken the baton. We’ve moved into an era of "Athlete as Creator." They don't need ESPN to tell their story anymore. They have TikTok. They have "burners." They have their own production companies.
But the ESPN female body issue was the bridge. It bridged the gap between the old-school "men's interest" sports coverage and the modern, holistic view of athletes as three-dimensional humans.
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Actionable Takeaways for Following Modern Athlete Branding
If you're looking to understand where the spirit of the Body Issue lives now, you have to look beyond the major networks. The conversation has shifted toward "Wellness and Performance" rather than just "The Body."
- Follow Athlete-Owned Media: Check out platforms like Togethxr (founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird). They focus specifically on the intersection of culture and women's sports without the "spectacle" of the old-school magazine era.
- Analyze the "Performance" Aesthetic: Notice how brands like Nike and Under Armour have changed their marketing. They’ve moved away from the "supermodel" look and toward the "Body Issue" look—showing sweat, strain, and real muscle.
- Support Narrative-Driven Content: The best part of the Body Issue wasn't the photos; it was the interviews. Seek out long-form podcasts where female athletes discuss the physical toll of their sports. "The Players' Tribune" is still a gold standard for this.
- Diversify Your Feed: The "Body Issue" was great, but it was still a gatekeeper. Use your own social media to follow athletes in "niche" sports—climbing, powerlifting, rugby. You'll see a much wider range of body types than any single magazine issue could ever provide.
The era of the "big reveal" might be over, but the normalization of the powerful female form is just getting started. It's less about a once-a-year magazine drop and more about a 365-day-a-year reality where being "built like an athlete" is finally recognized as the badge of honor it always should have been.