- Models posed nude in this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for an empowering reason.
- In the "In Her Own Words" spread, models posed naked with words that they felt described themselves painted on their bodies.
- There are positive and negative reactions to the spread.
- The magazine will hit stands next week and will also feature the usual bathing suit pictures.
Editors Note: Some of the images below may be considered NSFW.
Next week, the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will hit stands, but one spread already has people talking.
For the issue's "tentpole" piece entitled "In Her Own Words," models posed naked with positive words they felt described themselves painted on their bodies.
—SI Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) February 7, 2018In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, MJ Day, Sports Illustrated's editor, said the connection between feminism and the Swimsuit Issue inspired the spread.
"It's about allowing women to exist in the world without being harassed or judged regardless of how they like to present themselves," she said. "That's an underlying thread that exists throughout the Swimsuit Issue. You have Harvard graduates, you have billion-dollar moguls, you have philanthropists, you have teachers, you have mothers — you have a full range of women represented in the alumnus of this magazine, and not one of them failed because they wore a bikini."
From what has been released so far, it seems that returning Sports Illustrated models Robin Lawley and Paulina Porizkova participated in the shoot along with newcomer Sailor Brinkley Cook.
Porizkova explained to Sports Illustrated why the shoot was meaningful for her. "In a way, it's more than being naked. It's not just that you're nude, but it's also 'you're nude and you show me the way you want me to see you,'" Porizkova said. "It's even more naked than naked. I wanted to say that I'm not ashamed of my body and you shouldn't be ashamed of your body, no matter what age you are."
Lawley told Sports Illustrated what the shoot meant to her. "We are women and we are human. We have stretch marks. We have rolls. We have cellulite. That’s all part of our bodies. We become so obsessed with our exterior message; we give no thoughts to what’s in our heads," she said. "I just want all those girls out there to know they are so beautiful and so special."
Brinkley Cook told the magazine that the shoot made her feel empowered. "It was really special to be a part of this and get to express myself in a very raw, uncensored way," she said. "Having these words written all over your naked body and having that next level of exposure — I felt sexy obviously but I felt more emotional and it helped me accept myself."
People have had a mix of positive and negative reactions to the spread.
Some felt that it missed the mark, and questioned the premise of the shoot, arguing that it still objectifies women.
—Kate Willmore (@katewillmore) February 8, 2018—Dad’s Mad Guys!🙍🏻♂️ (@therock_2024) February 8, 2018
Others alleged that the shoot seemed to exploit models and #MeToo, even though the photo shoot for the issue predates the movement.
—Maria (@Segretissimo) February 8, 2018—TEXAS HEALTH NUT (@clervig01) February 8, 2018
But some people said they support the spread.
—Pat Perdew (@PatPerdew) February 7, 2018People on Instagram also expressed their support of the shoot in the comments of Lawley's Instagram photo from the shoot.
"Yes on so many levels," model Ally Ertel commented, while another model Lizzie Miller wrote, "These are STUNNING." Others left comments praising the spread, including body activist Nienke van der Peet, who said the shoot is "so wonderful," and Malene Riis, a Danish curve model, who wrote that it's "so cool."
In addition to the spread, this year's issue will reportedly have more athletes, written content from models, and donations, according to Vanity Fair. Day also said that the SI team made racial and body diversity a key part of the issue.
"Everybody had a different person that they related to or thought was the most exciting," she said. "Those people were dark, light, big, small, tall, thin — it was not one type of person. I always carried that with me ... Why are we only saying to ourselves that there's just one type of person that's worthy of being celebrated? It's bulls---, and we all know it, and we all live it, yet it's continued to be propagated in the media."
In addition to the spread, the 2018 Swimsuit Issue will also include its namesake bathing suit shots, according to Vanity Fair.
As Vanity Fair pointed out, in one picture, a model reportedly dons a T-shirt that says "Own It," an outfit that may have been inspired by the tank top Nina Agdal wore to close 2017's issue. Agdal's shirt read, "A WOMAN DOESN'T HAVE TO BE MODEST TO BE RESPECTED."
—Madeleine Davies (@madeleine_rae) February 7, 2018This year's cover was shot on a beach in the Caribbean.
Day told Vanity Fair that the 2018 issue ultimately looks and feels like the Swimsuit Issues past.
"These are sexy photos," she said. "At the end of the day, we're always going to be sexy, no matter what is happening. We're Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. The ideal is to create something artful, to create a beautiful image that both the subject and the team is proud of and collaborates on together."
UPDATE: This post was updated at 2:40 p.m. on February 8. An earlier post said that this was inspired by the #MeToo movement.
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