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Bennett Streets featured in Jet Brothers 2004 Calendar NEW HAVEN - When a team of publishing professionals at Jet Magazine eyed a photograph of Bennett Streets last spring, there was no doubt he would pose for the first "Jet Brothers 2004" calendar.
Streets, 27, works as a personal trainer at the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven and his photo entry was one of thousands submitted to Jet from around the country. Streets had just opened a fortune cookie when he got word last September that Blair, Marita Hudson and their project team had selected him for the calendar, now on sale through purchase forms in the weekly Jet and monthly Ebony magazines or on the Web at www.jetmag.com. "I didn't sleep for a couple of days before they flew me out to Chicago for a two-day photo shoot," said Streets, who can be spotted above and below the fold for April 2004. "I'm happy for that. The staff was great and they had a lot of guys to choose from," he said. Produced by the Johnson Publishing Co. since 1945 and 1951 respectively, Ebony and Jet are two of the longest-running magazines catering to African-American readers. Ebony enjoys a readership of more than 12 million, according to circulation figures, while Jet tops 9 million.
However, the endeavor expanded to include an all-female version and an all-male edition, with models from all walks of life. Contenders were not required to be professional models. "We wanted to appeal to a lot of different tastes. You'll see a variety of skin tones, shapes and body types and even professions," Blair said. "Bennett fell into the more sculpted body type we were looking for." About 5,000 calendars were printed in each version as a trial run. "We are just about sold out," Blair said. "We are really, really pleased with the success. We hope this is something that will continue for a long period of time." Streets is the son of the Yale University chaplain, the Rev. Frederick J. Streets, who jokingly but no less proudly, partakes in the limelight: "He has my body on loan."
Since he started modeling and bodybuilding in 1998, Streets has been featured in Muscle & Fitness, Flex, and Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness magazines. Standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, he weighs 205 pounds during the off-season but about 180 when training for a show. "Physical training and watching your diet is grueling physically and mentally. But if you love it, it's very rewarding," he said. "People want things overnight, but in terms of your body, it doesn't develop overnight." He has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of New Haven and plans to publish an autobiography this summer. Bennett Streets Pics - Photos - Gallery
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"His skin was nice and bronze and he was looking away from the camera. He looked like a sculpture and we thought, 'Wow, we have to get him,' "said LaTrina Blair, publicist for the Johnson Publishing Co. in Chicago.
Blair said the project began with the idea of printing calendars featuring women who had graced Jet's popular "Beauty of the Week" segment that always runs on Page 43.
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