Description
Book SynopsisExplores
Sports Illustrated‘s treatment of female athletes since the iconic magazine’s founding in 1954. The first book-length study of its kind, this accessible account charts the ways in which the magazine engaged with the social and cultural changes affecting women’s athletics and the conversations about gender and identity they spawned.
Trade Review“Gracefully written, brilliantly argued, thematically coherent, and a real pleasure to read.” - Derek Catsam, The University of Texas, Permian Basin, author of
Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement“In
Skimpy Coverage, Bonnie M. Hagerman goes beyond the obvious debate--what the SI swimsuit issue means in the context of a magazine about sports--and delves into a deeper, and more interesting question, which is how
SI’s coverage of swimsuit supermodels relates to its coverage of female athletes. Whatever one thinks of the swimsuit issue, it’s clear that it shouldn’t have had any influence on how the magazine covered the steadily growing role of women in American spectator sports. And yet, maddeningly, it did. That’s the compelling story being told here.” - Michael MacCambridge, author of
The Franchise: A History Of Sports Illustrated MagazineTable of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: "How It All Began"
- 1. "The Big F"
- 2. "Girls Like That"
- 3. "An Odd Way to Even Things Up"
- 4. "The Frailty Myth"
- 5. "The Olympic Ideal"
- 6. "A League of Their Own"
- Conclusion: "A Pretty Girl on the Cover"
