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When Maxim did a feature with Khushboo's face morphed with a bra-and-panty wearing body in the inaugural issue of their India edition, what they were targeting was a Maximum launch. What they're getting, instead, is a Maximum law suit or maximum settlement. They probably had no clue they were dealing with an intelligent, clued-in and erudite woman of the 21st century. And, as we go to press, their India head honcho is reportedly in Chennai trying to make amends. After all, it was just a joke.
Was it? Take a look at what Maxim has done before. Photo, headline and copy from www.tolerance.org.
MAXIM-UM 'REGRET'? Protesters Don't Buy 'Apology'
April 25, 2003 -- A 15-line 'apology' in the April issue of Maxim magazine has done little to quell protests about the magazine's three-page depiction in January of Mahatma Gandhi as a punching bag for a socalled "Kick-Ass Workout."
"This 'apology' almost makes me angrier than the article," said Michelle Naef, administrator of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for
Nonviolence in Memphis, Tenn. Naef criticized Maxim editors for "not taking any responsibility for
their actions."
Indeed, the apology, while using the word "sorry," smacks of the same kind of irreverent, sophomoric tone found throughout the magazine:
"Thanks to a very organized letter-writing campaign, we received tons of mail protesting this article. To set the record straight: We sincerely regret that anyone misinterpreted the article as being somehow anti-Gandhi. We were going for irony here. We chose Gandhi as the target of our punishing workout not because he's Indian or 'of color,' and not because we're against peace, but because he's the least likely target for aggression imaginable. It's like putting Bill Clinton in charge of a morality commission, say, or making Ted Kennedy your designated
driver. Sorry for any confusion." This is the ethos of Maxim. The magazine shocks, tittilates, and is irreverent. There are a number of magazines in India, notably in the vernacular, which do quite the same. There is surely an audience which will lap up Maxim, but does Maxim have to tweak their template to match Indian sensitivities? Take a look at a contest currently being run by Maxim:
The Great Maxim Road Trip Contest 2006!
It's time to get off your ass and hit the road, cause some trouble, and tell us all about it.
The lowdown: Time to rally your pals and hit the highways-it's road trip season!
And even though a good journey is its own reward, we're giving sweet prizes to the craziest five crews who make it to wherever and back in one piece. In addition to having their mugs immortalized in the pages of our July issue, each winning team will get a load of swag more valuable than their lives.*
The rules: Fifty percent of your team's score will be based on the overall creativeness and debauchery of your road trip, supported by photographic and physical proof, of course. The other half of the score will be based on your ability to (legally) secure any or all of the following photos with an identifiable team member in the pic:
· One of your buddies in handcuffs with a cop
· A three-way girl kiss
· Two WELCOME TO state signs
· A team member working a stripper pole
· An issue of Maxim in a statue's hand
One cannot imagine Maxim running a similar contest in this country without howls of protest from all quarters. A look at a Maxim cover - and it is fairly representative of all Maxim covers - will give one an idea of what the magazine is like in Europe and the US. It is patent that the Indian edition is a considerably watered down version, but, is it watered down enough? Maxim may be ready for India, but is India ready for Maxim?
Impact's Gokul Krishnamurthy spoke to Khushboo on Thursday, a day before she was to meet Maxim India's top brass. Khushboo is indignant, and shares her thoughts on where she believes media should draw the line.
Your taking offence is understandable. But is Indian society, in general, becoming more accommodating?
I don't think any person who has any degree of self-respect would let something like this pass by. No one would tolerate something as cheap as this being done to them. The greatest jewel for any woman is her pride and self-respect.
As a society, I think there are certain values that exist in Indian society that will never change. We still fast for Ramzan, or fast on certain days of the week. We are definitely racing ahead as a westernized society in some respects, but culturally, we are happy being conservative in many ways.
Our children grow up under modern influences. But do we let them forget what the history and richness of Indian culture is? No. Even after 50 years or 100 years, this won't really change. So there is no question really, of our society tolerating or accommodating such things.
Celebrities need the media as much as the media needs them. Do you agree with that?
I would compare the relationship between celebrities and the media to that of a husband and wife or that of one between family members. Both need each other, but that doesn't mean you run down a family