Berkleigh Wright’s Beauty Evolution Lies in Being Unapologetically Herself

The 2024 SI Swimsuit rookie encourages others to fall in love with themselves.

Berkleigh Wright was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

We determine our beauty, not the eye of the beholder. From an early age, women are judged by their hair, the color of their skin, their clothes and their bodies. Journey with our SI Swimsuit models and other industry changemakers as they discuss their Beauty Evolution, how they came to accept, honor and embrace their bodies and beauty, and how they are rewriting the narrative on what it means to be powerful, beautiful and who they are meant to be.

Berkleigh Wright is many things: a 2024 SI Swimsuit rookie, a former Denver Broncos cheerleader and a businesswoman. In many ways, the 30-year-old model is just like the rest of us: she experiences moments of insecurity and occasionally struggles with confidence. However, over the years, Wright has learned that there’s nothing more beautiful than simply being your authentic self.

“[What]  beauty means to me is just being so unapologetically yourself and being so in love and confident with that,” Wright tells SI Swimsuit. “I think one of the hardest things ... for women everywhere is to just love ourselves like we love other people. And I think once you’re able to find that affinity for yourself that you give to so many others, then you can really embrace your inner beauty and be able to let that shine.”

The 2023 Swim Search co-winner says she struggled with self-love quite a bit growing up, in part due to the comparison trap that many women fall into as a result of imagery portrayed in the media. She’s encouraged by the societal changes that today embolden people to embrace and celebrate their differences, rather than aspiring to be a cookie-cutter version of someone else.

Berkleigh Wright was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. Swimsuit by Norma Kamali. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

“It’s been a process in finding my self-confidence,” Wright says of her beauty evolution. “I used to feel like I had to have fake lashes and a spray tan and my hair and makeup done in order to like look and feel beautiful. But now, I’ve come into my own and my favorite version of myself is like waking up in the morning, hair’s tied up, glasses are on, I have no makeup on, I’m in my sweatpants. When I’m most relaxed and most feeling like myself, that’s when I feel the most confident.”

Wright, who posed for the 60th anniversary SI Swimsuit Issue in Belize last year, adds that her work with the magazine has been hugely impactful in terms of coming into her own confidence. As for those who are still aspiring to be unapologetically themselves, she says the first (and most important) step is to fall in love with yourself.

“ There’s only one you, and that’s your superpower,” Wright states. “[Fall] madly in love with that ... Fall in love with your humor, your kindness, your big heart, all of those things that make you you. Just fall in love with that, and I think that’s the biggest thing that you can do for yourself. At that point, when you exude that confidence and you’re spreading that into the universe and shedding that onto other people, that’s doing everyone in the world a really big favor.”

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