New York Fashion Week’s glamour depends on labour that is often compensated with the promise of visibility. My visual sociology essay, “Paid in Exposure at New York Fashion Week,” appears in the August 2026 issue of Contexts, volume 25, issue 3, pages 55–63.
Working from inside the photographer’s pit, I examine how economic competition and masculine dominance shape who can claim space and pursue future opportunities. Exposure provides immediate value to the industry while leaving workers to absorb the uncertainty of whether that visibility will become paid work. The essay brings creative labour into focus by tracing how access, recognition, and compensation are distributed within an apparently abundant industry.
