Paulina Porizkova Felt 'Objectified' Early in Her Career: 'I Didn't Have a Say in How I Was Portrayed'

Paulina Porižkova developed a sense of freedom early on while filming Sports Illustrated Swimsuit problem photographs.

In the new documentary Beyond the View: Jule Campbell Swimwear Editionhe recalls the influence of Porižkov Sports IllustratedThe Swimsuit Issue and its founding editor, Jule Campbell, were influential in her career.

The documentary, which premiered Nov. 17 at the DOC NYC Film Festival, details Campbell’s work for the outlet and how the late editor, who died in 2022, helped nurture the careers of several young models, including Cheryl Tiegs, Tyra Banks, Christie Brinkley , Elle Macpherson and Porižkova, 59.

Namely, when Porižkova appeared in the 1982 edition at the age of 17, she was topless on a Jamaican beach. She appeared in six more issues and graced consecutive covers in 1984 and 1985.

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But when Porižkova first got the opportunity, she almost turned it down, believing that she would be presented in tennis clothes. Even after she accepted the job, Porižka’s photo shoot almost never came to fruition. The young model arrived in Jamaica wearing a white T-shirt that read “Too Drunk to Eat” and was almost sent home.

Photographer Walter Iooss Jr. he advised her to take it off before Campbell saw her. Porizkova obliged, ultimately leading to “one of the best photos I’ve ever taken,” he says.

For the photo, she tied her hair in a bikini top and then skilfully covered her breasts while wearing bright green and red bikini bottoms. “It was my idea to tie my hair to my bra because I always ran topless. And then Jule said, ‘Hey, why don’t we film that?’ “, recalls Porižkova. “This is the girl I was then.”

Paulina Porižkova in 1988.

Collection of Ron Galella via Getty

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“This is what Jule taught me: when you wear a bikini, all you have to do is embrace your body and who you are,” she says. “There’s such a sense of freedom in that.”

Porizkova also notes how the Swimsuit Issue’s approach has evolved. “It’s so funny because the shots are so much less overt,” she says, flipping through a 1986 Swimsuit Issue calendar. “They’re so much less sexually explicit or whatever these days.”

“But here we come to how times have changed. I think we have evolved as a society,” she adds. “Things that were absolutely normal and acceptable 40 years ago are no longer.”

Paulina Porizkova on March 29, 2023 in New York.

Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty

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The supermodel continues by talking about her personal experience at the beginning of her career. “When I felt objectified, it was because I had no say in how I was portrayed.”

“Now, when I’m exposed in a bikini or nothing, that’s my choice,” she says. “For me, it’s objectification or celebration. Can it do both at the same time? I don’t see why not.”

“We’ve been taught that our bodies are valuable if they’re beautiful,” she explains, adding, “So if you put that body on display, you’re ‘technically’ objectifying yourself. But you’re also celebrating yourself.”

“We, as women, this is what we were given as our powers, and then we are ashamed to use them,” she concludes. “Women will be embarrassed by everything, won’t they?”

Beyond the View: Jule Campbell Swimwear Edition is showing at DOC NYC on November 18th at 12:30pm at Village East by Angelika and will be available to stream online from November 18th to December 1st. Tickets can be purchased here.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education