Anude photo shoot of actess/celebrity mess Lindsay Lohan premiered in the New York Magazine fashion issue on Monday. The Marilyn Monroe-inspired shoot recreated the sex symbol’s last photographs, taken by photographer Bert Stern in 1962 only a few weeks before her notorious overdose.

Stern captured a damaged celebrity in both shoots. Monroe was a 36-year-old, sexually iconic presidential mistress. Lohan is a fresh-out-of-rehab 21-year-old starlet, whose best movie to date is the 1998 Disney remake of “The Parent Trap.”

While I understand our culture’s fascination with the lives of idols such as Monroe, I shudder at the thought of painting (or photographing) someone new, vibrant and full of hope, into a role that has already been filled.

Admittedly, I love that one of our nation’s major magazines printed a nude spread of a woman who weighs more than the average twizzler. I also love that the photographs are pictures of Lohan as she really is, not airbrushed to the point where she looks more like a cartoon than a living, breathing human being.

Yet I hate that Lohan’s alcohol-induced antics are enough to rate her presence in our popular consciousness. While it’s possible Lohan has not yet taken on roles equal to her talent, I don’t believe her public breakdowns come close to elevating her to the status of an icon.

Maybe if she had first proved she had some talent, I’d be happier about seeing her naked. As it is, her photo shoot just reminds me why I don’t read Perez Hilton.

– Liz Coffin-Karlin

Asst. Forum Editor