There is nothing wrong with Ola making the calendar if she wants, it is pretty racy and there is no point in denying that the poses are meant to be found as sexy and provocative. It is entirely up to her if that's what she want to do and there is nothing wrong in her doing this.

However I think that she and James have to realise that their calendar isn't compatible with the image the BBC will want it's stars to have. It wants Strictly to appeal to people of all ages and outlooks and this goes against that. She's free to do it but equally the BBC are free to not be very happy about it.

What I don't get is why they didn't tone it down a bit and make a calendar that appealed to everyone, maybe her and James dancing or something. Ok it wouldn't appeal to the dirty old men as much but they must have enough fans to have generates quite a few sales and not have annoyed the BBC as much.

Completely agree. I'm amazed that some people have actually said Ola's calendar is 'tasteful' - its sleazy and she and James both know it but if they're both happy doing it then fair enough. I think Craig is being a bit ridiculous talking about Strictly being a 'family show' these days - if that's what they're aiming for I think there are plenty of other things they need to look at before some calendars made by the pros which probably don't even sell that many copies anyway.

Incidentally, I'm not sure if the US ads another poster was referring to were the 'Got Milk?' ones, but they were fully clothed people with milk 'moustaches' from drinking milk because it was healthy, not people wearing very little with milk running down their chin and chests, so I'm pretty sure they're not what Ola's calendar pic was based on.

As far as I can see, the image that the BBC wants it's stars to have is for them to be half naked. Why is OK for Gleb etc to strip off live on air but not for Ola to pose for some racy photos as a private endeavour?

Storm in a teacup...standard for DS

Exactly. I would like to say more about some of the nasty comments about Ola but I better not.

Don't bother. Most of those posters are horrendously contradictory. You can't argue with people like that.

Perhaps because the only 'half-naked' pros you see on Strictly are the males (who only take their tops off - I've yet to see one strip all his clothes off on the show), and it's usually done for comic effect, rather than a serious attempt to be sexy. Strictly is pretty tame and silly.

Perhaps Ola should wear a clown mask for her next shoot

over which part?

Lol!

And the Fairlife ones.

Presumably it is OK when men do ir?

I don't think that the amount of dress that is the issue with the calendar. It's more the sexual meaning behind it. I don't think that there is much of a sexual intent/sexual meaning in Gleb taking his shirt off. I wouldn't even say it was a gender thing, I think it would be pretty frowned upon if one of the males were sitting in a little pair of pants pouring milk over themselves with their legs apart - can't say for sure though😄

It's amazing how someone who's not even in the competition any more can still invoke such vitriol.

I keep meaning to ask, how do we know the BBC are not happy about Ola's calendar?

It sure is, I wonder why.

Nope, I don't particularly want to see anyone doing it, but they all know what market they're aiming at and it's not me

To be fair, it is easy to miss your mouth at that range when you are lounging around the floor trying to drink milk (as you do).

These shows need to create their own drama so everything is self-contained and a bit theatrical.

I'm not a Jordan fan but she does nave great buns.

Then why did he do it? Of course there is a sexual meaning to it. Why else are the likes of Claudia and Darcey swooning and going Phwoar when it happens.

As a laugh? Remember it had been done in the main dance and Claudia had also just pretended to rip open the shirt he had on so he might just have decided to take the joke a bit far. As far I could see he didn't have any milk or other visual metaphors for spunk running down his chin though, and I didn't really think that aim of his pose overall was to get all the women in the audience to wank over his image, is that really the message you got?

ETA: as I said above though, I do 't have an issue with Ola or the calendar, it's fair enough if she wants to make it and I'm sure plenty will buy it. It's the BBC's perogTive if they decide they don't like it though. In the same way that employees of most workplaces cannot negatively comment on employers or I believe some jobs don't allow you to be members of a political party. They employ you and they decide the terms which you either accept or don't accept.

Honestly, This picture really isn't the enormous turn on for men that you seem to think it is.

Pretty young woman in bikini.

Fine- Well in that case you might as well say that every woman below the age of 40 in a bikini on the beach, or local swimming baths is some sort of a tart deliberately trying to work up the emotions of every man who sees them.

So what's different?

A carton of milk.

I can't see many men getting excited at a carton of milk- so it really isn't the offensive image you seem to think it is. I would be very suprised indeed if a single bloke looked at that picture and headed for the downstairs loo, so the interpretation is yours.

I don't see it as a laugh. I see it as double standards i.e. the guys can strip off to their hearts content with the intention of generating sexual arousal in their fans (and to generate votes because that is one of the main reasons why they do it and it isn't just Gleb - Artem used to do it all the time and it was no coincidence that Louis Smith stripped off for his showdance in the final) but the girls can't.. I don't really see that a few pints of milk makes any difference, especially as it was in a private context outside of the remit of the show. If the BBC want to criticise what the pro dancers do outside of their work for the BBC then they need to lead by example and get their own house in order first.

To be fair I meant that a bit tongue in cheek, I have no idea whether some men will or will not like it (I expect some will and others won't). There isn't much point in pretending it wasn't shot to be in some way sexually meaningful though.

As I clearly said above I don't find it at all offensive, I just understand why the BBC might not like it.

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Fair enough.

I once had the misfortune to be on the jury in a rape case. I was quite young at the time, but the attitude of the female jurors surprised me. The six men (me included) were all of the opinion the woman was telling the truth, and the man should have behaved himself. Unbelievably (to me anyway) it was the women on the jury who were judging the young woman as being a bit tarty 'so she probably encouraged him' Consequently he got off.

Feels a bit like that on this thread.