Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue
Written and Directed by Jill Campbell
Unrated
Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
Part of DOC NYC, times, tickets, and online availability here

by Heidi Krull, Staff Writer

Discussions of feminism can be polarizing, especially when it comes to film. However, Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue, a new documentary about the renowned Sports Illustrated editor Jule Campbell, captures the nuance often missing from these conversations, and explores the impact Jule had on those in the industry through her years.

Beyond the Gaze is incredibly touching in so many ways. Jule was an editor for Sports Illustrated from the 1960s to the 1990s, and worked with hundreds of famous models. During her tenure there, Jule fought against the typical role of swimsuit photoshoots in society, and urged that her photos were about women’s empowerment. She not only worked with, but helped create, huge names such as Cheryl Tiegs and Tyra Banks. Despite Jule’s immense impact on her models and staff, she faced rampant sexism throughout her time as an editor. Beyond the Gaze impressively discusses all aspects about Jule’s career and the models’, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and captures the passion Jule had even after her career was over.

The first thing that drew me in when watching Beyond the Gaze was the deeply personal lens it was directed through, as the film is directed by her daughter Julie. Jule is an industry giant, but not as well known by the general public. From the very beginning of the film, I felt like I really got to know Jule for who she truly is. Not only is she a fighter for women’s rights, but she tried to capture her dream in the photographs she took. She always ensured her models were comfortable during shoots, and never put them in overly lewd positions. She promoted self-confidence and vulnerability becoming close with many models she worked with because of her empathy. Later on in the film, the viewer gets to see into Jule’s personal life, and how she was able to be a married woman with children while still constantly working. Her life back then sings the familiar tune many working women know: having to work twice as hard in life to make your way in the world. The extra personal touch of being able to see deeply into Jule’s life, combined with the relatability of her story, made this documentary stand alone.

The industry that Beyond the Gaze shows was one ruled by primarily white men, and this led to Jule and many of her models experiencing uncomfortable situations. This film did an excellent job staying away from black and white arguments about the morality of Sports Illustrated, managing to be very nuanced when discussing feminist issues. Jule, for the most part, adored her job and her ability to influence on models, but still often struggled to get by because she was the lowest paid chief editor in the company. At press events and interviews, her and the models would be asked blatantly sexist questions while they were forced to not react. Ultimately, a few models ended up breaking away from Sports Illustrated, speaking out about how the magazine objectifies women. In return, plenty of models stand by Jule’s practices, and say that of everyone working there, she was one of the only ones trying to protect them. Watching Beyond the Gaze makes you sit with this conversation, and compels you to reckon with both sides of it. It’s true that Jule protected the models as best she could, but it can also be true that some models were still subjected to abusive people and practices.

What truly inspired me the most by the end of this documentary was how Jule lived a long, healthy, and happy life, able to relax after her years of hard work. Although her husband has long passed away, she was surrounded by friends and family (and sometimes even visited by her former models) all the way until she died in 2022. I felt so many overwhelming emotions during Beyond the Gaze, and it is impossible not to applaud the work Jill Campell put in to make her mother’s story come alive. I love how this film was intelligent and clever in its storytelling, and I know I will be revisiting it in the future.