Oh, there's (still some) woo and there's hoo...  work that vest!  Very similar to Eliza Dushku's shoot in the May 2001 edition. 

http://www.maximonline.com/girls_of_maxim/pictures_and_bio/620/maximgirls.girl

Hmm. I understand all the things that might be wrong with Maxim and/or posing for Maxim. Despite all that, I saw the pictures and I thought: Wow, she looks HOT!

Maxim has done way sleazier photo shoots than this one. Moreover, Sarah Michelle Gellar is a beautiful woman, no matter what she is or isn't wearing...

I don't have a problem with this at all. In fact, I would go as far as saying I'd rather see her in Maxim than in Buffy...not a popular opinion, I am sure ;-)

This wouldn't bother me that much (at least no more than Maxim usually bothers me), except that they dared to associate it with Buffy! They're even using the whole goth angle to try to emphasize the Buffy connection to sell their sleazy magazine.That is blasphemy!!! (And by the way, SMG does not even have good posture in those photos. If there is one thing that's unsexy to me, it's slouching.)

Even though she was great as Buffy, I've never been an SMG fan, and I'm not surprised she would pose for Maxim. It's always best not to conflate characters you love with the actors who play them. If you do, you'll often be quite disappointed when you actually hear the actor speak or see what they do outside that one role--not always, but very very often. I feel this is especially true of the actors on Buffy, and for some reason it's very easy for me to disassociate them from their roles. Buffy is one of my all-time favorite shows, but I would never watch anything just because it had an actor from Buffy in it. Well, maybe Eliza Dushku...

How is she holding that pose in those heels? Doesn't it hurt? Is her stomach in the first one obviously edited or really f'ing obviously edited?

Yeah, I don't like.

--

No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always boom tomorrow.
--Susan Ivanova tells it like it is

Not trying to be a smart ass, but may I just point out that every three lines of critique has been followed by one of the criticized pictures? That's seven large pictures of half naked Michelle. Is this to make sure we see what a bad call this was...?

*raises eyebrow*

The pics are horrid. She has no sex-appeal and looks like she's on something. Her demeanour is frightfull; she comes across like one of a those scary Victorian porcelain dolls (except that the dolls have more life in them!).

Alice.

I think she looks great.

I think the tone of this blog actually does her a huge disservice. She's not revealing more here than she has on tv, in films or in photoshoots for more 'high end' magazines in the past. They've wanted her to do a shoot with them for years and she clearly accepted on her own terms and told them how far she was willing to go with these pictures. This isn't a typical Maxim shoot by any stretch of the imagination. It's actually damn classy for them and I think we can thank her for that and not them.

The mere fact that she's promoting three films I think also shows that this isn't some gimmicky "remember me" effort. When she makes the (what I found to be amusing) comment about doing Maxim at a time when she's playing a pornstar, it proves that she's aware of their reputation and is willing to play them at their own game. She's giving them the shoot they've wanted for years on her own terms, and at the same time is promoting her own projects.

I also think it's a huge disservice to imply that she's not someone that women and girls should be looking up to simply because of a magazine shoot (a shoot which I like because it seems clear to me that she was calling the shots). Girls could do a hell of a lot worse than looking up to SMG you know. She's hard working, she's happily married, she doesn't take drugs, she doesn't fall over drunk on her way home from clubs every weekend, she's actually pretty smart and she's never posed nude or appeared in a 'leaked' sex tape.

I actually like her pictures here. They're not sleazy, plus she is . . . well, hawt. I do understand that pouty frigidness is not in vogue all over the world, but I live in New England, so bring on that pouty frigidness! I think that these photos are interesting because its clear to me, at least when I look at them, that she's playing a character in her mind, and that character is not Buffy.

I think SMG's been in the industry long enough to recognize trends. There is a long history of women who are well-beloved in a certain TV role and never break out of that mold to be successful in movies and/or other TV roles. It would be completely stupid of her not to recognize that maintaining a successful life-long career in showbiz requires a growing fanbase and trying new, different things as a performer.

I don't think SMG would have done a Maxim shoot while she was on Buffy, but now that she's been given opportunities to play against type, she feels willing to do many things she may not have done before. She can make choices regarding her own body and her own image without taking other people's opinions (including ours) into account.

And in the end, isn't that what feminism is about? Being able to be a person making mistakes and triumphs first, and then to be a woman, second?

I do understand, dorothy_snarker, that its upsetting to feel that SMG is sending out the message that sexual exploitation is the way to get positive attention. I can't reassure you either way. I do know that it is fairly rare for her to pose in such a randomly provocative manner and that she's never done nudity.

"Yes, yes, I know the actress is not the role.".... but I do believe she just said she WAS playing the role... "Besides, how could I not do a Maxim shoot when I have a movie coming out in which I play a porn star?"

In any case, I'm conflicted on this shoot.  Maxim IS a garbage magazine, but I'm totally down with her "shak(ing) things up" and I think these pictures are ridiculously hot. 

That having been said though, I don't think it's fair to make the moral standard for SMG based on the principles she upheld as the character Buffy..

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If the photos were for a different magazine? because really, it seems like a lot of the grief ya'll are expressing is really about MAXIM. What if she had posed in the exact same photos in Curve?

I agree that Maxim itself is complete and utter crap. I'm not a fan. But reading between some of these lines, it seems your disappointment with SMG has to do with these photos being exposed to, shot for, and marketed toward men.  

I'm not really an SMG fan, and I don't care either way. But let me tell you, that "selling" oneself in Hollywood is how you play the game. Some people sell themselves in less ... revealing ... ways. Oprah is probably the best example of how to do it. She has an empire, but don't think she got there by baking cookies for executives. SMG is already seen as a sex icon by men. She's marketing to her prime audience.

...and she's called Henry and it’s a lot of explanation but don’t worry about it kids, Ok? Just tune in, turn off, drop out, drop in, switch off, switch on, and explode.

'Hot'? Crikey - remind SMG she's actually human - then shoot the photographer and let me take the bloody pics!

Alice.

I don't know...maybe it's not the best representation of "Buffy". Maybe you're right about that. Buffy would never pose for Maxim.

But Sarah Michelle Gellar totally would and she looks smoking hot. We can't expect everyone to be "superwoman" all the time. Besides, as an actress she has to stay on the radar somehow. Why not make some memorable poses?

"So you're gay...that's apalling." -B-ster

You people are silly!! she may not look all "I am woman hear me roar" but why does she have to be!! she is not buffy! she is just a (struggling) actress. look at the past maxim women of the year shotes and she doesn't really stand out, maxim shotes often look like that. Why are you'll getting down on her because she is not upholding this perfect 'buffy' image of her.

JOSS WHEDON IS BUFFY. if you want to equate the qualities of buffy to a real person give it to him. just because sarah played a super woman doesn't mean she has to be one in real life, ALTHOUGH SHE IS AND HAS BEEN A GRATE ROLE MODEL ONE PHOTO SHOT DONT DESTROY THAT. look at the part's she has played since buffy and it realy doesnt suprise me that she posed for maxim.

I quite like a couple of shots - or at least parts of them, that is, the parts that are down to Gellar's general cuteness/hotness/whatever you want to call it.  However, context also tends to colour my judgement a bit and Maxim is just not my kinda magazine.  Someone above described the publication as 'sleazy' and I would agree - I definitely have a problem with the way women are portrayed in magazines of this ilk.  However (again), I find it hard to 'blame' the women concerned insofar as this is how actresses are more and more often expected to publicise themselves and/or their work (whether or not this tactic actually works is, I think, another story).

Basically, I still like Gellar - I like her work and she always comes across as a perfectly decent person - but I kind of wish she hadn't done this particular shoot. 

(And, yes, while Gellar isn't actually Buffy (duh!), she did such a fine job, a part of me will always associate her with the Buffster, so I can appreciate the comparisons/ contrasts.)

I, for one, am not going to discuss the political incorrectness of "Maxim" magazine; or whether or not it's explotive for a woman to pose suggestively in men's magazines to promote themselves and/or projects.  Or if Sarah is letting down her fan base...Ectera, ectera...I am in NO position to judge or comment on what is certainly a woman's issue...

I'll simply quote Eric McCormack from the classic comedy, "Free Enterprise"...

Seperate the art from the artist.  No one in Hollywood is who they appear to be...Except John Tesh who's probably exactly whom he appears to be.

Sarah's a smart grrl...She knows what's she's doing; so, have a little faith.  No pun intended...

Oh...The photos are pretty damn hot! :D

Next...

From the comments, I'm getting the implication that Sarah is not equatable to Buffy because Buffy was some sort of strong female that Sarah isn't? If that's the case, I think it's a very inaccurate assessment. Sarah Michelle Gellar, the person has always seemed intelligent and confident even at 15 years old. At that age, Buffy the character was nothing like Sarah the person who by 20 years old was more mature than many 30+ year olds. Sarah has seemingly always been the type of person who was very career oriented, sure of herself and strong in her convictions.

I think whereas Sarah the person did Maxim on her own terms, Buffy might have been coerced into doing it on their terms.

Buffy was a strong female for sure but she wasn't perfect by any means; she was vulnerable, insecure, headstrong etc. Does everyone block out her disasterous relationships or season six (like a good number of my friends do)? Where was Joss when his "strong female character" was being treated like a sex object and being degraded at every turn? Where were the strong morals then? For a while there, the character wasn't an admirable person and though that self-destructiveness made her more human, in many ways it was a huge departure from the Buffy we knew and loved. I recall SMG having a huge issue with this change in the character. She went to Joss with her concerns but they weren't exactly taken into account. Sarah later stated that she had never gone through a self-destructive phase and had always been very confident and very sure of her path in life. I think she was very disappointed in the fact that her character, normally such a strong role model, was being dragged down so far.

I've been an SMG fan for a few years now and the times that I've been disappointed in her or something she said are few and far between. I'm not going to call her names, say she's trite and boring or talk about how her career is suffering because she has done this shoot. I think promoting the idea that she's doing this because her career is failing sounds like something someone who didn't think women could own their sexuality would say. I agree with whoever brought up the point that the comments here do a huge disservice to this smart, hardworking, beautiful and genuine woman.

I guess I'm one of those feminist who don't understand why female nudity/sexulity is consistantly equated with vulnerability, victim, weak, degrading, and dependent as this review of the Maxim photo shoot strongly supports. Sarah Michelle Prinze, has proven in her career to be a strong, independent, hard working, non-nude proffessional actress. I applaude her and the manner in which she has handled her career.

I think the photo shoot is beautiful, sexy and powerfull. I for one do not feel victimized, weak, dependent, degraded or vulnerable when I'm nude. 21 years as an out lesbian and I definately don't feel my sexuality leaves me weak, dependent or vulnerable. As Willow and Tara would say "..strong like amazon" or that llililililililililililililililililili Zena cry or simply put "Holla" I am naked woman hear me roar!

Now, to answer the question; would Buffy approve? In season 6 when she was looking for a paying job, to save her house and maintain her sisters guardianship-yes Buffy would approve as long as it was Maxim and Dawn didn't find out.

Lastly, I think her changing her name to her husbands was an extremely romantic 5 year romantic jesture. What celebrity is ever humble enough to change their name?

Yes I am a Buffy fan.  Yes I think SMG is beautiful.

 But that's not the point.  the point is that women are judged by their looks, not how talented they are.  How many people women become popular only after posing naked in playboy or semi-naked in a lads mag?

 This is not about her as a person or her relationship to the character Buffy.  It's about the fact that in order to market her movies she feels that she must take off her clothes and and act porn star sexy, which is what my problem with this is.  I don't blame her because this seems to be what societal norms demand of women: that we make sure everyone knows that we are part of the sex class, which is valued more then anything else.

When was the last time you saw a male in shots like this (which actually shots of men are taken showing strength and not vulnerablity) in order to promote their art?

Not many pics. But the interview is good. She deserves woman of the year. I mean not woman of the year for ending starvation, conflict in the middle east, pseudo oil crisis, or ending the war-woman of the year...but Maxxum woman of the-sure.

Side not: Both Sarah and Joss are Buffy. Puppet and Puppetier are needed to animate a concept. No one else could ever play Buffy. Sarah will never play another role that doesn't tap into her Buffy persona and thats due to Buffy being a fully fleshed out and developed well written well acted character.

Oh and I'm sure Sarah's reading my comments so hey Great frackin job in Southland Tales!!!

Don't like my spelling? Blame my eEditor. Peace takes work.