Serious curves ahead.
Full-figured beach babes loom extra-large in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Issue on newsstands next week, thanks to three plus-size models, one of
whom is a silver-maned siren old enough to be eligible for AARP.
The trio of manequins with meat on their bones are showcased in a
three-page advertisement for Swimsuits for All, an e-retailer that
specializes in plus-size swimwear — that’s a size 8 and up in the
fashion industry. The campaign is #SwimSexy.
So, yes, the company bought its way into the glossy page-turner that’s
become an annual must-see and grown into a $1 billion business since its
debut in 1997.
And good for them — if you’re not on the invited guest list, there’s more than one way to be at the party.
“I’m honored to be be part of the tradition of curvy women in Sports
Illustrated,” says Ashley Graham, 28, who posed solo in 2015 for a
one-page S.I. ad for the swimsuit company. She wore a black string
bikini - in a size 14 - dripping in confidence.
The Nebraska-raised stunner who lives in Brooklyn caused a media
commotion that swamped interest in size 10 model Robin Lawley, who was
in an editorial spread in the same issue.
This year’s campaign is three times as big and even more diverse.
Graham is diving in again, this time with Philomena Kwao, 26, and Nicola
Griffin, 55, in matching glistening gold two-pieces.
“I imagined myself as a sexy Bond girl coming out of the water during
the shoot,” says Graham. “It doesn't matter if it’s an ad or not. The
message of inclusion is powerful for all women.”
Getting out the memo that all women no matter their size, shape or age
can wear a bikini takes dedication and dough. A full-page ad in the S.I.
special issue can cost around $350,000 or more.
“It wasn’t cheap,” says Moshe Laniado, president and CEO of Swimsuits
for All about the new ad. “But this is an important annual moment.
Swimsuit life is celebrated and we want to be there and make our
message.”
Scott Novak, an S.I. spokesman, insists the 19-year-old Swimsuit Issue
“always has been and always will be” about women of all shapes. It
celebrates, he adds, “healthy body types and curvy women.”
But leafing through past issues indicates a narrower focus. Models may
be buxom (hello, Kate Upton), but they tend to be thin. Hannah Davis,
the size 4 cover girl in 2015, was the ultimate wave waif in her
low-slung bikini.
Griffin, a London-based bikini bombshell, is doubly thrilled to be in
the mix. On one hand, it’s her sized 14/16 figure. And there’s her age.
She’s 55, which Swimsuits for All points out makes her “the first mature
model to grace” the Swimsuit spectacular.
“If I’m the first one that is wonderful news,” says Griffin. “It's been
a long time coming. It’s thrilling, brilliant news. I’ve never, ever
worn a bikini before in my life before. “I have a little bit of a tummy
but I've had twins. I'm real.”
So is her silver hair, which, she says “is totally natural.” She
stopped dying it a few years ago. “Coloring it made me look older than
my years.”
Kwao, 26, who lives in Brooklyn, is stoked about being in S.I., “as a black model and a curvy one.”
“It’s about inclusion,” she adds.
The golden girls aren’t covering up much in the metallic suits. Laniado says several colors were considered during the photo shoot last December in Puerto Rico. “The gold came about in trying to complement the crazy bright sunset and turquoise green water.”
The two-piece was a non-issue, he adds. “That was never a question. It
was always a bikini and only a bikini. That’s what our revolution is
about. No hiding.”
The hotly anticipated special cover will be revealed on Saturday on TNT’s “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed.”
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