Check Out My Throbbing... Kitten?

Animal Blawg posted this image from a recent Stranger cover. Animal Blawg rightly notes that this picture "flips" PETA's usual tactic of exploiting women to promote animal rights. I do, however, disagree with Crawford's conclusion that "That's not OK, either."

I think context is central to considering the effectiveness and implications of media. I find this cover to be an interesting- and funny- play on stereotypes of (white/hetero) masculinity. In The Male Body, Susan Bordo discusses how men in our culture are identified with their penises, which are expected to be hard, powerful, and machine-like. The Stranger presents us with an attractive man standing in a "look at my package" pose that replaces a kitten for a penis. Kittens are soft, cuddly, cute, playful, vulnerable, unpredictable, and often associated with feminine characteristics. A kitten just might be the opposite of penis! (How emasculating is it for the woman to want to play with the kitten instead of the penis!?) Objectification needs to be understood in context rather than universally condemned.

Thoughts?

Thanks to Animal Blawg for pointing out this photo! (I nearly sprayed my computer with the coffee I was drinking!)