Photo of the Day: This picture got 195K ‘likes’ on Facebook, but why?

First of all, let me say mazel tov to Jacci Sharkey. The young mother recently graduated from the University of Sunshine Coast in Australia, where she majored in human resource management. I wouldn’t be aware of any of this or the fact that her youngest, Alek, was born 6 weeks ago if it weren’t for her graduation photo, which has gone viral.

Here it is:

Capture

Sharkey is currently enjoying her 15 minutes of fame over this image, which according to San Antonio station KENS currently has 195,000 “likes” on Facebook. So what exactly is it that people like about it, and what prompted Sharkey to publish it in the first place?

To take the second question first, she explained in an interview with The Independent:

You don’t have to give up the career to have kids and you don’t have to give up kids to have the career … you can have it all.

Just because you’re a mum doesn’t mean you have to be cooped up in your house all the time.

And that is what many viewers of the image profess to like about it. They claim it is uplifting and liberating. Naturally, there are what Sharkey terms the “keyboard warriors,” one of whom wrote in the comments section of the Independent article, “Yet another cheap opportunity for a vaguely sexually titillating photo?” Another commenter who uses the handled Tonto Fig was more succinct, writing “Lucky kid!”

At the risk of seeming of objectifying this young woman myself, I submit that the picture is sexually suggestive. Notice that Sharkey’s graduation gown is pulled back to reveal a rather skimpy outfit. The image almost calls to mind the kind of softcore fantasy photos that show a well-endowed female model half in and half out of a uniform.

But are these just my dirty pictures, to riff on the old joke? Before you answer, consider these photos, also from Sharkey’s graduation album:

jacci-sharkey-facebook-4

jacci-sharkey-facebook-7

To my knowledge, this young mom of two has not yet been approached by the skin mags. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if she were … and said yes.

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Howard Portnoy

Howard Portnoy

Howard Portnoy has written for The Blaze, HotAir, NewsBusters, Weasel Zippers, Conservative Firing Line, RedCounty, and New York’s Daily News. He has one published novel, Hot Rain, (G. P. Putnam’s Sons), and has been a guest on Radio Vice Online with Jim Vicevich, The Alana Burke Show, Smart Life with Dr. Gina, and The George Espenlaub Show.

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