Sports Illustrated is breaking boundaries by featuring the first-ever unedited photos!
Sports Illustrated, notorious for its swimsuit and athletic covers featuring supermodels, from Kate Upton to Ella Macpherson, is changing the game. This year’s edition is set to feature 36 models of diverse backgrounds.
According to Bustle, the featured models include five mothers, four returning cover models, five world-famous athletes, four published authors, twelve rookies, and six model search contestants. Talk about a model mix!
The cast is the publications most diverse yet, but only 2 of the 36 are plus-size. Kate Wasley and Hunter McGrady, both plus-size models, told Bustle that for them the shoot is “more than just getting a great image.”
Kate Wasley, a 6-foot-tall size 16 model, can remember the first time she ever saw a plus-size model featured on the cover of a magazine. She mentioned how it made her feel “empowered, and if I can be part of that movement and just inspire one other girl to feel that way, then that’s amazing.” We could not agree more!
An all-female crew photographed the featured models, who each had words placed all over their bodies. Each woman chose their own set and placement of the words that describe how they want women to talk or think about themselves.
Words such as “worthy”, “fearless”, and “boundless” were a few of the many words chosen by the women. McGrady said, “I was very careful choosing my words because words have the ability to make or break down somebody.”
The best part of all is that the photos will remain unedited and untouched, showcasing the female bodies in their original and most beautiful form.
We commend Sports Illustrated for breaking the boundaries of body image and beauty standards, and for featuring a cast of female models that stand for all women. Grab a copy of Sports Illustrated to check out all the photos for yourself!
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