MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 27, 2025: BEYOND THE GAZE: JULE CAMPBELL’S SWIMSUIT ISSUE
Whether you find Sports Illustrated‘s annual compendium of bikini-clad models frolicking in exotic locations objectifying or empowering, you’re sure to look at it a bit differently after watching Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue. As it tells the story of SI‘s iconic editor and her influence on the magazine, the documentary also examines the wider impact of the yearly feature: on the people who put it together, on the models who posed for it, and on global pop culture.
Lovingly written and directed by Jule Campbell’s daughter-in-law, Jill Campbell, the film covers Jule’s personal life — from marriage and motherhood to her early days working as a fashion reporter for Glamour before being recruited to help launch SI‘s very first swimsuit issue in 1964 — and shares many behind-the-scenes stories of some of the magazine’s most memorable photos (cough, white mesh one-piece, cough). Interviews with decades’ worth of supermodels (including Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks, Kathy Ireland, Paulina Porizkova, Stacey Williams, Elle MacPherson, and more) and the photographers who captured their poses make it clear that Jule ran a tight, supportive ship. She knew what she was looking for, and she got it, for more than 30 years.
Jule sought out models who looked healthy and happy, as opposed to those more aligned with the aloof, austere aesthetic of the New York and Paris runways. She drew lines regarding what types of poses the models could and couldn’t do, she monitored every shoot personally, she ensured that there was at least some diversity among the models she hired, she supported female fashion designers, and she encouraged the models to pursue opportunities beyond the camera. In the process, she became a beloved mentor to many of the women featured in the magazine’s pages over the years. Scenes of them speaking with Jule on the phone or coming to visit her at her cherished family farmhouse as she approaches the end of her life in her 90s are genuinely touching.
All of that said, the film doesn’t shy away from the fact that the swimsuit issue has garnered plenty of controversy over the years, from conservative groups outraged at all of the skin on display to staunch feminists who decry the idea of women being paraded in skimpy Spandex to pander to male desire. Jule, always pragmatic and honest, is frank about saying that she considered models’ figures as much as their brains. But the fact that she cared about the latter at all — and that her careful stewardship of the swimsuit-issue machine is evident in its evolution under other SI‘ editors’ care — underlines her impact on the project that would become her legacy. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Nell Minow: Does Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue honor women or exploit them? Is it a work of art or a cynical cash grab? The answer is all of the above and more, as shown in this provocative documentary about the woman who created the swimsuit issue as a brand and as a work of art, with profound cultural impact. Filmmaker Jill Campbell’s sympathetic but even-handed portrait of her mother-in-law, Jule Campbell, is an intimate look at the woman who was told she could be paid less than her colleagues because she had a husband, even though her annual contribution to the magazine made more money than any other issue, sometimes more than all the other issues of the year.
Leslie Combemale For anyone who has ever seen the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue — even if only as they wait in line at the grocery store, and wondered about it — this film offers a fascinating history. For feminists who have had, like me, their own issues with scantily clad gals posing in front of palm fronds or jumping out of sparkling Caribbean waters, this will offer a deeper perspective on what those images represent. Does it answer whether those images are sexualization or empowerment? No. You’ll have to decide that for yourself. Read full review
Jennifer Merin Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue is a documentary that traces the development and impact of the annual Sports Illustrated special edition that sells out each year and produces revenue that fiscally supports the magazine’s editions throughout the year. Inaugurated in 1964, SI‘s Swimsuit Issue was created by Jule Campbell, the first and (at the time) only female invited to the magazine’s executive editorial meetings. As the mastermind behind the annual ‘must have’ Swimsuit Issue, Campbell played an important role for decades in defining standards and expectations about female beauty. She discovered models who became cover stories and were — still are — universal icons of beauty. Elle MacPherson, Christie, Kim Alexis, Tyra Banks and others who became Swimsuit Issue celebrities speak out about Jule’s influence in their lives and her impact on fashion and pop culture. With archival footage, current interviews with Jule and the models and pop culture historians, the documentary chronicles the magazine’s formatting and style changes, including the current emphasis on inclusion and diverse representation. It is also a very compelling tribute to Jule Campbell, who is, it just so happens, filmmaker Jill Campbell’s mother-in-law.
Sandie Angulo Chen: Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue is a compelling chronicle of one woman editor’s influence on the success of a male-centered magazine. The documentary follows a fashion editor at Sports Illustrated, Jule Campbell, who shaped and produced its annual Swimsuit Edition. Though the magazine may have seemed aimed at a male readership, the film revisits the iconic spreads through the lens of a woman elevating female models, designers, and creatives. Directed by Campbell’s daughter-in-law Jill Campbell, the documentary highlights her groundbreaking career and includes interviews with Swimsuit legends Kathy Ireland, Elle Macpherson, Tyra Banks, Cheryl Tiegs, and Paulina Porizkova.
Loren King There’s nothing better than a documentary that opens a door wide to a previously unknown world. In the case of the surprising and delightful Beyond the Gaze,” it also reveals a figure relegated to the margins of history who deserves, and now gets,the spotlight. The film is a fascinating immersion into how the issue evolved and how it was executed each year — from Campbell’s scouting of locations and designing the shoot to her hiring of models including Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs, Tyra Banks, Roshumba Willams and Kathy Ireland, who all appear in interviews. Read full review.
Liz Whittemore =To make a path for her own art career, Jule Campbell broke convention by stepping into a male-dominated industry to produce the world’s most successful annual issue of a magazine. Campbell elevated supermodels like Kathy Ireland, Elle Macpherson, Paulina Porizcova, Tyra Banks, and Christie Brinkley. Rather than exploiting them, she gave them, and the magazine’s female readers, permission to embrace their power. Exploring the evolution of feminism and body positivity, Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue is a tribute to a legacy who is honored by a daughter-in-law who understands the impact the trailblazing Jule made on all of us.
Cate Marquis The documentary does not shy away from the controversial nature of the SI Swimsuit issue, which has been the target of feminists and female athletes alike over the years, but director Campbell puts what Jule Campbell did in the context of the era in which the SI Swimsuit Issue was born. This well-made, warmly personal documentary highlights the way in which Jule used her artistic eye to serve as a female filter to the male gaze of photographers and the magazine’s senior editors, all male. She controlled how the women were photographed, carefully selecting photos that went to the final selection. The issue was required to be sexy but Campbell aimed to keep it tasteful and not lewd. Read full review.
TRAILER
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue
Director: Jill Campbell
Release Date: June 25, 2025
Running Time: 107 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriter: Jill Campbell (documentary)
Lead Performers: Jule Campbell, Kathy Ireland, Elle Macpherson, Paulina Porizcova, Tyra Banks, Christie Brinkley
Distribution Company: Tribeca Films
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Pam Grady, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
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Edited by Jennifer Merin
