Mike Novack wrote:I think the intent here is an image "you can be both brainy and beautiful"
A woman can also be beautiful in a nice dress, or jeans and a sweater, or whatever else.
I think a good comparison is female newscasters. Like their male counterparts, they are typically chosen as much for their looks as for their intelligence. They're typically attractive, typically smart. Like their male counterparts, the networks will typically err towards sacrificing smart for attractive, but there are exceptions in both directions.
Now, consider their publicity photos, or the photos on their website. Those photos would often make a red blooded man pretty happy. He might, if he knew their work, say "that woman is both beautiful and brainy!"
I think it's obvious that newscasters would probably not use the bunny ears picture.
Besides, let's not be ridiculous. We know what Maxim is, and
what they're selling (probably NSFW). Lee's pictures are pretty modest by their standards, but their goal is to titillate.
Edit: changed 'these' to "Lee's" for clarity.