Victoria Pendleton

it seems to assure the world (men? people?) that no matter what this woman's athletic achievements - don't worry, she's still conventionally feminine (and therefore not a threat to our precious status quo). Which is a shame, because female athletes are in such a good position to extend our ideas of what is 'feminine'.
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And it's the wrong sort of equality - surely it would be better to get rid of these things altogether, rather than just trying to increase the number of men who hate their bodies?

Do you really see the world like this? It's not the 70s. Surely nobody in modern Britain thinks that strong successful women are in any way a threat to the status quo. The're part the status quo and have been for decades. Men are attracted to strong powerful and successful women - there's no struggle between this and femininity.

I don't know, maybe, if it reassured anyone of anything, it reassured VP that being a fast cyclist is merely what she does, not what she is?
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And no, it wouldn't be better to get rid of nice photos of beautiful people wearing not much. It would be indescribably worse. I don't need a return to puritan Victorian moral prudishness thank you. A society which is comfortable with nudity is one which is comfortable with its own humanity and sexuality. A mature society with high level of respect, tolerance and freedom. This is a healthy thing. The opposite can be found wherever Islamists hold power.