Name: Farin Weinger

Social Justice Group: 2018-2019, Sexualization of Women in Fashion

Date of Fieldwork: December 17, 2018

Name of Organization: Sports Illustrated

Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: MJ Day, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Editor

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did:

We interviewed MJ Day and her team of women who work on Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition. We talked about modeling and how Sports Illustrated tries to give every woman an equal chance to model. They try to make sure it is not just the outward appearance that gets casted but also the model’s personality.

What I learned:

I learned what Sports Illustrated and MJ Day are trying to do to make modeling more humane for the models. I gained an insight into the processes of casting, shooting, and publishing modeling photos and magazines.

What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:

Through this field work I learned that even baby steps to more equal modeling and less sexualized modeling greatly affects the bigger picture. I learned how people in powerful positions are trying to improve the modeling conditions and the equality of the fashion industry. It does not have to be more than just a picture in a magazine to promote better views of the models. I learned that small things, like sizing, can produce a lot bigger change in society.