Baring all

A wonderful article by Kira Cochrane in The Guardian looks at how even the highest paid, successful and talented female stars in Hollywood like Nicole Kidman, Kiera Knightley and Scarlett Johansson take their clothes off for high-profile magazines like GQ, Vanity Fair and Esquire. Is that the price they must pay for publicity? Cochrane wonders if that is what it takes for the women to remain stars, even though they have careers that most actors would kill for. It sure doesn't guarantee positive PR, as is evident from the recent controversy about Knightley's slim figure. So why is baring flesh for magazines and advertisements the only sure-fire route to success?