Sixtine Shares Valuable Reminder About Impact of Constant ‘Glow Up’ Culture

The SI Swimsuit model and body neutrality content creator is always keeping it real with fans.

Sixtine was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

We can always count on SI Swimsuit model Sixtine to keep it real and keep us in check when social media fads get a little out of hand. The two-time brand star, who made her debut in Dominica last year and posed in Belize for her feature in the 2024 magazine, often uses her platform to champion body neutrality, or the idea that you should appreciate your body for how it functions rather than for its aesthetic purposes.

Most recently, the 26-year-old offered commentary on a TikTok trend that showcases people who want to glow up and slim down, which often circulates every time the seasons change. Sixtine stitched a specific video addressing the “October theory” and why the three months before the new year are supposedly the perfect time to get your life together—and in today’s internet- and comparison-driven society, that often means looking better.

Sixtine was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. Swimsuit by Leslie Amon. Necklace by Monies. Bracelet by Monies. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

“I keep seeing posts like this where it’s just like, ‘O.K., guys, time for a glow up, time to go to the gym, time to lose weight.’ And I don't know if you guys notice, but every three or four months, it’s the same cycle of like, ‘You have three months till the end of the year, time to get skinny’ or ‘three months till summer, time to get skinny.’ Like I’m exhausted,” she candidly shared. “I personally just feel like the glow up culture and the constant growth culture has gotten out of hand. You do not need to constantly be glowing up or growing, sometimes it’s O.K. to relax, especially as we enter fall and we enter winter. That is the time [of year] to slow down and relax and allow your body to rest. It doesn’t constantly need to be like, go, go, go. You guys are gonna burn out. So, [here’s] just a friendly reminder that if you are not currently going to four workout classes a week, I promise you’re going to be O.K.”

The model and content creator added in her caption that she was beyond tired of all the theories and challenges encouraging people to change their routines, amp up their workout schedules or cut down their diets in order to look a certain way within a certain time frame. Several users chimed in to the comments to thank her for her message, noting that they “needed this reminder.”

Sixtine’s personal philosophy on body neutrality is to simply accept your body, without feeling the need to love, talk about or even work to change your so-called “flaws.” She can simply exist in her body and appreciate it for the fact that is allows her to dance with her friends, laugh till her stomach hurts, live in a walk-up in New York City and so much more.