Jim Hines wanted to show off his body make a statement about the sexist depiction of women on the covers of fantasy novels. So his wife took photos of Hines while he awkwardly posed like the cover girls.
So the guy is making a statement against sexism by implying that the male body is the standard a woman's body should be measured against? Hmmm. Logic much? How about just trying to pose real women in these poses and take pictures that show how unnatural they are. But I guess that wouldn't get him the kind of free publicity for his books that he is obviously going for.
I cannot groan any louder at this never ending stream of "creators" seeking publicity by obsequious means. Simply google image search for fantasy novel covers and you'll see a wide variety of depictions of men and women in various equivalent poses. Furthermore - examine this old web page. http://www.orbitbooks.net/2010/08/17/the-chart-of-fantasy-art-part-2-urban-fantasy/ now please, self-publicists of the Internet, when drawing attention to an issue please make sure it is actually on the rise. You are hindering the cause you think you help by stirring dying embers.
At the end of his post he lists three books which 'do a pretty good job of conveying strong, capable female characters'. Clicking the links, I imagined him striking the poses for those books too, and the mental images were equally disastrous. So what exactly is the point he's making?
Possibly this one: balding bearded man discovers he doesn't have the physique to be a cover model.
Possibly this one: balding bearded man discovers he doesn't have the physique to be a cover model.