2023 SI Swimsuit Rookie Jennifer Atilémile on Celebrating Your Unique Beauty

Jennifer Atilémile was photographed by Derek Kettela in Puerto Rico.Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

SI Swimsuit’s newest 2023 rookie, Jennifer Atilémile, was discovered by a model scout at the age of 15 but chose to pursue her education—she earned a double master’s in international relations and journalism from Monash University in Melbourne—and a decade later started out in the fashion industry.

Since then, Atilémile has worked for several big-name brands and became Victoria’s Secret’s first Australian curve model in 2020. Over the years, her confidence has grown, and she has developed a great relationship with self-love. The 31-year-old uses her social media platform to promote body positivity and encourages women to celebrate and embrace their unique beauty and differences.

“I think we’re in this age of social media where everyone has filters, everyone wants to look like certain celebrities and there’s just no celebration of unique beauty anymore,” Atilémile says. “It worries me that young impressionable minds are growing up with these bad ideas of what beauty is. I think everyone’s free to do their own thing, be who they want to be and get the surgeries they want. It’s damaging when it’s being hidden from the mainstream. Just own it. I also think that we should be celebrating everyone’s individual beauty. There’s eight billion people now in the world, and there really is only one you. That is so powerful and unique and special.”

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Atilémile wishes she could go back in time and tell her younger self to “stop trying to be like everyone else.” She used to hate her freckles and was afraid of catching a tan while growing up in Australia, where light skin, blond hair and blue eyes were idealized.

“I was constantly trying to fit into this mold of something that just wasn’t me,” she explains. “I spent so many years fighting my DNA and fighting who I really was supposed to be.”

The Reformation model truly believes that beauty comes from within. She says once you figure out who you are and learn to love yourself, you’ll be able to embrace your “unique beauty,” and in turn, others will, too.

Atilémile, who runs a life lessons and reflections blog called “everything i wish i knew,” is no stranger to low self-esteem days. Her journey has been full of “battles,” but she’s learned a lot and reached a good place today.

“I feel like confidence doesn’t come overnight, but it can get there. Anyone and everyone is beautiful,” she says. “Just be proud of who you are and where you’ve come from.”

Meet Jennifer Atilémile—read the 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie’s full feature profile here.