MJ Day

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MJ Day
Alma mater University of Mary Washington
OccupationEditor-in-chief of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

MJ Day is an American magazine editor who is the editor-in-chief of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which she has led since 2014.

Contents

Life and career

Day grew up in Ocean County, New Jersey, and graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 1997. She was an intern for the fashion magazine InStyle before being hired as an editorial assistant for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1998. [1] [2] In 2013, she oversaw the launch of the website Swim Daily, which promotes the swimsuit issue and its models year round. She became the swimsuit issue's top editor the following year. [2] [3]

During her tenure, the swimsuit issue has introduced a greater range of body types and placed a focus on body positivity and women's empowerment. [4] [5] [6] Robyn Lawley was the issue's first plus-size model in 2015. [5] [7] In the 2017 issue, Nina Agdal wore a tank top reading "A Woman Does Not Have to Be Modest to be Respected", while in 2018, models chose their own words and messages to display in body paint in one spread. [4] [8] Leyna Bloom was the magazine's first openly transgender cover model in 2021. [6]

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Gabriella Athena Halikas is an American model, TikToker, and body positivity activist. A plus-size model, she appeared in adverstisements for JCPenney and Snapchat before becoming a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model in 2021. Halikas walked the runway at Miami Swim Week in 2020 and 2021.

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References

  1. ↑ Griffith, Janelle (February 13, 2014). "Top editor brings Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue to her native Jersey Shore". NJ.com . Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Manfred, Tony (March 3, 2015). "The woman who runs the SI swimsuit issue started as an assistant who spent 8 hours a day organizing bikinis". Business Insider . Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  3. ↑ Bean, Matt (February 9, 2013). "Welcome to Swim Daily". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Vanderhoof, Erin (February 7, 2018). "Meet the First Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue of the #MeToo Era". Vanity Fair . Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Cohen, Kate (August 5, 2021). "Opinion: The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue's models are diverse. Their poses are not". The Washington Post . Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Christoforous, Alexis (February 7, 2022). "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launches gender equity advertising mandate". Yahoo Finance . Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  7. ↑ Stampler, Laura (February 5, 2015). "Meet the First Plus-Size Model in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition History". Time . Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  8. ↑ Schad, Tom; Gardner, Steve (February 13, 2018). "Special 'Sports Illustrated' swimsuit spread lets models express themselves". USA Today . Retrieved December 26, 2024.
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