Benjamin Jones
Sports Illustrated’s iconic swimsuit issue, on newsstands for six decades, marks its 60th anniversary with a special edition that breaks with tradition.
“I want the world to realize that Sports Illustrated has evolved into a much broader and more powerful vehicle for change,” said MJ Day, editor in chief.
The SI Swimsuit Edition Special Anniversary seven new covers which feature different models including Kate Upton, Chrissy Teigen and Hunter McGrady, who is making her debut as a cover star.
“This has always been my dream,” McGrady said. “I started at Sports Illustrated in 2016. You know, as a plus-size woman, my focus is representation, but my biggest messages were so much more than our bodies. Yes, it’s me and my body on the cover of a magazine, but I’m very more than that. It’s exciting to finally be put on this huge platform like this.
This cover marks Upton’s fourth. She said the magazine helped her career, but also helped convey an inspiring message to women.
“This is about taking back our power,” Upton said. “It’s about having confidence in our bodies, no matter what they look like, and knowing that you deserve to be there, and that your voice matters, and you can empower yourself by being confident. You can be anything. You can be smart, you It can be beautiful, you can be confident.”
The SI Swimsuit Issue was first released in the winter of 1964 and was first used to fill the magazine’s pages as the hockey and basketball seasons came to an end. Over the years, the swimsuit issue has been eagerly anticipated, featuring mostly models in swimwear.
Since then, the issue has morphed to include women in sports, news and entertainment, representing different races, ages and body types. From the magazine’s first transgender cover model, Leyna Bloom, to Halima Aden, the first woman to wear a hijab. The swimsuit issue arose as a filler during the lull of the sports season, but quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
Jule Campbell, the late SI editor, introduced the practice of printing models’ names with their photos, a game changer that helped models like Christie Brinkley become household names.
“The cover of Sports Illustrated is a huge accomplishment. And you get introduced to the other half of the population, the men. And suddenly I had a name. It’s great for your career,” Brinkley said.
For many years, the magazine’s cover stars in the swimsuit issue were white women. But model and actress Tyra Banks broke that barrier by becoming the first black woman to appear on the cover of the swimsuit issue.
“That was, like, oh my God, a huge deal that resonated all over the world,” Banks said.
As the swimsuit issue evolved to become more inclusive, the magazine lost some readers. Even so, Day said the audience that remained was what the magazine wanted.
“I mean, listen, there are a lot of swimsuit shots in this issue. We have no shortage of swimsuits. But I really like the idea of having all these women come together in a way that’s different for us for the first time. We’re living our best life, we are not afraid, we are not ashamed and no one is going to stop us,” Day said.
This year’s SI Swimsuit Issue Also Includes “CBS Mornings” Co-Host King Gaylewho, in addition to photographing for the magazine, is also on the cover.
Sports Illustrated
“They told me I would be in on it,” King said of seeing the cover for the first time on “CBS Mornings.”
King described how the photographer guided her on how to pose, from how to position her fingers to extending her toes. Despite such detailed instructions, she never imagined herself in this role.
“I mean, I never saw myself that way. I still don’t see myself that way,” King said.
