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I just remember seeing them and thinking, ‘Oh, my God, the most beautiful women are in this’” - but didn’t feel represented in the pages. She creates such an incredibly positive environment.”Īs a young girl, McGrady was aware of Sports Illustrated - “I saw the issues growing up. “That's one of the things that I love so much about MJ Day. The 29-year-old is a new mom, a third-generation model, and her 2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will be her fifth time in the magazine.ĭespite having modeled since the age of 18, she’s never felt quite as embraced as she does when shooting with MJ Day, the editor of the magazine and the director of the Swimsuit shoots. This always feels different,” Hunter McGrady, a self-identifying plus-size model, tells me over Zoom. Get in, get what we need, and then get out. “Most of the time, I show up and it just feels very much like work. And, perhaps most surprisingly, none of them have ever felt as confident as they do when they’re in a swimsuit posing for Sports Illustrated. They’ve all seen the modeling industry embrace diversity and inclusion more and more over the past few years (though there’s still more change needed). I spoke to five of the 2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models about their personal behind-the-scenes experiences of the iconic shoot, the modeling industry at large, and how they’ve learned to love themselves, on and off set.Īcross the board, all of these gorgeous young women have more than a few things in common: They have all struggled with self-esteem and learning to value their bodies. By showing up and showing out, these women are redefining “beach body” on their own, diverse terms.īut even though they’re changing the game - representing body diversity and redefining global beauty to span models from four continents - they all know there’s still plenty of work to be done.
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This visibility is especially important as summer approaches and the fat-shaming “beach body” ideal starts making the rounds in fitness ads and on social media. Models like Hunter McGrady, Duckie Thot, Marquita Pring, Tanaye White, and Cindy Kimberly all grace the pages this year, each of them, in their own way, continuing the magazine’s legacy of proving that all kinds of bodies are beautiful. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is back, and the 2022 roster is stacked.