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i'll just leave this here

Male Sci-Fi Writers Pose Like Female Cover Models and Vice Versa in This Two-of-a-Kind Print

by Susana Polo | 11:39 am, February 4th, 2013


Fantasy author Jim C. Hines has been waging war against poorly photoshopped, exploitative fantasy and sci-fi novel covers for some time now, in the best way he can think of: by taking pictures of himself attempting to emulate the poses on them, and thus highlight and contrast the inherent sexuality that images of women are frequently imbued with against the power that images of men are. This time, however, he’s pulled out all the stops: enlisting three other male science fiction and fantasy authors, and one female one to recreate a cover in its entire.

If you’re interested in owning a high quality signed print of the image on the right for, as Hines says: “your living room, your bathroom, or maybe on your bedroom ceiling. We won’t judge you!” two exist… and they’re both being auctioned off for charity. Check here for updates on both auctions.

Previously in Genderswap

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  • Anonymous

    Wow. That original cover. Just…wow.

  • http://twitter.com/DantesSpirit DantesSpirit

    Psst, auction ended last week.

  • http://www.facebook.com/mark.matson6 Mark Matson

    I like this, but also think it is a bit too easy. Pictures of normal, not particularly attractive guys is going to look even more stupid than pictures of professional models. (Or the original could be drawn, not photographed — not sure. Same difference.) I’d like to see the other two pictures in the implied matrix:

    3) The cover reproduced with a female lead and male eye candy, but all are professional models, and

    4) The cover reproduced with a mail lead and female eye candy, but all are normal, not particularly attractive people without makeup.

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    Yeah, this was covered elsewhere.

  • Brian

    Is Flandry meant to sound like philander-y?

  • Anonymous

    Normally, I’d be very angry about the original cover, because of how sexist it is. But then, the author is named Poul. That must have caused some great trauma in his life.

  • Anonymous

    While I can see what you’re saying, I feel the point gets muddled when you bring in attractiveness and make-up. Regardless of how a human being looks when objectified, it’s typically one gender that is being acted upon; and that’s women.

  • Anonymous

    I take issue with ‘not particularly attractive’.

    Rumor has it that Patrick Rothfuss’ beard is made out of pure, concentrated sex.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=521655368 Linda A Warenfelt-Wagner

    Why can’t the men be hunky like the women are hunkettes?

  • Christa Van

    The author, I doubt, has say in the cover. Be angry at the cover designer, which is usually somewhere on the book too

  • http://twitter.com/KatherynChristy Kate Christy

    I always find it ironic that Baen, a publisher that publishes plenty of book series with strong female leads, has such freakin’ AWFUL covers.

  • http://twitter.com/jimchines Jim C. Hines

    I was there. IT’S NOT JUST A RUMOR!

    (Also, at least two of us *were* wearing makeup to compensate for certain gleaming-scalp issues!)

  • Anonymous

    “The author” is Poul Anderson, one of the greatest science fiction/fantasy authors of the 20th Century. Also, Poul is a fairly common Danish name. Also also, I sincerely doubt Anderson had any say in the cover.

  • Anonymous

    Famous authors usually have some say in the cover. It’s his name on top of that piece of crap and he’s the one who had to promote the book. I would understand a new author having no leverage but not “one of the greatest science fiction/fantasy authors of the 20th Century”.

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