I don’t like Maxim. I don’t mean I find it offensive (well, I do mean that, but not just that). I mean it bores me. I like my women a little more complicated and a lot less infantilized.
But I should have known that Sarah Silverman would find a way to take the yawny Maxim formula and twist it into something special. (Yes, I realize the photo and production people had a hand in this too, but I’m just going to give Sarah all the credit because that’s more fun.) These are from the June 2007 issue.
Let’s start with the requisite “schoolgirl” photo:
I know I just said I despise the infantalization of women, but look what Sarah’s done: This isn’t necessarily a kid. It might just be a roller-skating weirdo from the ’70s. And a klepto at that. What’s she stealing? A can of soup?!
Next, the hooker with a heart of gold:
Only there’s no heart of gold here. Nor is this the sort of id-driven bad girl who follows into the profession because she’s a natural nympho. This is a hardscrabble, van-down-by-the-river badass who’d just as soon cut you as bed you. And dude, look at her hair.
Finally, the sexy suit:
Yep, it’s a gorilla suit. No pencil skirt or pinstripes anywhere. You could say that kissing a gorilla head signifies attraction to beastly men, but since it’s her suit, it screams autoeroticism to me. And if you’ve seen Jesus Is Magic, you know that’s not crazy talk.
Finally, a non-Maxim photo that’s just plain adorable:
Don’t miss Silverman on the MTV Movie Awards on June 3. She’ll be the funny, sexy one handing out the awards.
