# Straight Dope illustrations: offensive to women? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 12, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184 "2005-09-12T02:27:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vaile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/dbc845/32.png) [@Vaile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaile)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/1 "2005-09-12T02:27:06Z")
Is anyone else offended by the illustrations on the Straight Dope column? I apologize if this has already been discussed, but it seems like it always shows women in extremely unflattering ways, with bizarre pointy or floppy breasts that bear almost no resemblance to the real thing. Am I alone here? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/2 "2005-09-12T02:44:17Z")
> [@Vaile](#): > > Is anyone else offended by the illustrations on the Straight Dope column? I apologize if this has already been discussed, but it seems like it always shows women in extremely unflattering ways, with bizarre pointy or floppy breasts that bear almost no resemblance to the real thing. Am I alone here? Yep. It’s been discussed before. And you’re correct. But it’s just _Slug_. Just to make things equal(well, maybe separate, but NOT equal), do you find his drawings of males to be any better? [sub]You mean that most breasts _aren’t_ pointy or floppy? 🙂 [/sub] ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/3 "2005-09-12T02:46:10Z")
BTW, welcome to the boards. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/4 "2005-09-12T06:55:06Z")
Slug’s drawings are offensive to everybody sooner or later. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/5 "2005-09-12T11:38:27Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Slug’s drawings are offensive to everybody sooner or later. I was going to say the same thing. Slug is an equal opportunity offender. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/6 "2005-09-12T12:00:43Z")
But he’s our equal opportunity offender! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/7 "2005-09-12T14:32:05Z")
I have to agree with samclem here. Persons of the male sex are not represented in a flattering way in Slug Signorino’s illustrations either. It would be sexist to show the women as being beautiful and the men as being buffoons, would it not? Implying that for a woman, beauty is important, but for a man, it is not? As seen in movies where the women are shown through a soft-focus lens, and the men shown “au naturel”. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/8 "2005-09-12T16:08:17Z")
As someone of mixed Italian/German ancestry, I actually _like_ how Slug draws his Dagoes as mustachio’d greaseballs and his Krauts as literal “squareheads.” Check out [his personal website](http://www.slugsignorino.com/) for a look at his non-SD portfolio. Same zany concepts and visualizations, same exquisite crosshatching and googly eyes, minus referneces to bodily functions, overt sexism, or kook science. Plus COLOR! ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/9 "2005-09-12T22:24:34Z")
Well, I’m still waiting for my turn… ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/10 "2005-09-12T22:27:18Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Slug’s drawings are offensive to everybody sooner or later. Well, I’m still waiting for my turn… ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/11 "2005-09-13T13:39:31Z")
Sister, if Slug hasn’t offended you YET, it ain’t NEVER gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/12 "2005-09-14T00:28:28Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Slug’s drawings are offensive to everybody sooner or later. I dunno, they never did get around to left-handed anabaptists. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/13 "2005-09-14T01:40:59Z")
Oh, I’m not offended…I think they’re funny. Methinks \*\*samclem \*\* needs to see a few more breasts, though. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/14 "2005-09-14T16:38:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Methinks samclem needs to see a few more breasts, though. Well, yeah, but who doesn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/15 "2005-09-14T17:58:10Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Well, yeah, but who doesn’t? [This guy.](http://www.jhintl.net/JHI/English/Media/Find_an_Expert/FE_InterviewNagiKhouri.asp) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/16 "2005-09-19T23:56:42Z")
They are not meant to offend IMHO, amd to be frank I am offended that you are offended. I really think we are loosing something critical to our survival due to PC issues like the OP. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/17 "2005-09-20T02:39:08Z")
True, they are offensive at times, but Slug is a equal opportunity offender, as **Fear Itself** and \*\*flodnak \*\*have said. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-illustrations-offensive-to-women/321184/18 "2005-09-20T02:43:00Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > They are not meant to offend IMHO, amd to be frank I am offended that you are offended. I really think we are loosing something critical to our survival due to PC issues like the OP. Nope! We thrive on controversy. Bring 'em on!