How Jet Democratized the Thirst Trap
The New Yorker|July 29, 2024
When I was growing up, in the early two-thousands, I knew of only one way that a mere mortal could be pictured in a bikini for paying subscribers.
Jennifer Wilson
How Jet Democratized the Thirst Trap

It was to submit a picture to Jet, a weekly magazine for Black news and entertainment.

Each issue included an ad for "beautiful models between the ages of 18-25," along with instructions to fill out a "coupon" with contact information and "a current snapshot of yourself in a bathing suit." If the magazine liked your photograph, it would connect you with a professional photographer. From Jet's inception, in 1952, until the magazine ceased its print operation, in 2014, it published pictures of these women in a column called "Beauty of the Week."

This story is from the July 29, 2024 edition of The New Yorker.

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This story is from the July 29, 2024 edition of The New Yorker.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.