Chelsea Handler in Playboy: Empowering or degrading?

Let me get this out of the way upfront: I love Chelsea Handler. I think she's smart, quick, funny, genuine, and one of the best interviewers on TV. (I a little bit hate her show's corny "panel," but she's still an ace.) That said, I'm all sorts of conflicted about the 34 year old's new Playboy cover.

Handler is a sharp-witted, foul-mouthed badass who calls things like she sees them and reduces her oft-douchey male guests to stuttering, needy little boys. There's a bit of a disconnect between this powerful-female persona and the "Ho! Ho! Ho!" hottie who's getting her pants pulled off on the cover of national nudie mag.

Or is there? Handler's body looks great, she doesn't get naked inside, and who says a lady can't be strong and funny and sexy and flirty all at the same time? Times have changed, for sure, and the fact that the comedian seems in on the joke makes all of this seem more pro-woman than anything we ever saw on "The Girls Next Door."

Still, I'm torn. But I do know one thing: No matter what it represents, the December Playboy cover is a whole helluva lot better than its November one, which really (still) freaks me out. Source: EW