Five SI Swimsuit Models Who Celebrated Their Stretch Marks

Models are often looked up to as perfect beings that don’t experience blemishes, wrinkles, or any other common superficial changes. But, one of the things we love most about our SI Swimsuit models is how honest so many of them are about everything from motherhood struggles to body image issues. That’s why it was particularly refreshing when several of the models shared photos of something that many women cover up: stretch marks. Here are five.

The Minnesota native is all about sharing real photos from her awkward middle school years to makeup-free nights at home. She also previously opened up to SI Swimsuit about her painful struggles with breast implants. So it’s no surprise the open-book model would also share what society has deemed as an imperfection. Kalil recently posted a pic posing in a swimsuit that showed off her stretch marks with the optimistic caption, “Hi tiger stripes.”

As a new mom, McGrady has been sharing all the ups and downs of raising a newborn. That includes changes in her own body. With so much focus on women bouncing back after having given birth, the body positivity spokesperson has made sure to show off what a real postpartum body looks like, stretch marks and all. “I’m Just a girl, standing in front of a mirror, 12 days postpartum, with breast milk stains, and Depends diapers, pure exhaustion, asking herself to learn to love this new body,” she wrote. “I feel so grateful for this body today. Leaky breasts, bloody diapers(on my end), new stretch marks, gummy tummy and all.”

Like McGrady, Graham is all about embracing her body. That’s why she’s celebrated her stretch marks on more than one occasion. The model flaunted ones on her stomach while donning a bikini for a summer 2020 photo shoot, among others. “I know it’s easy to tell yourself the lie that you’re not good enough, thin enough, sexy enough, ‘flawless’ enough to wear a tank top or a swimsuit,” she wrote one time. “Don’t let your mind stop you from enjoying your life to the fullest (and remember to say ‘I love you to yourself every day)!”

Lawley made headlines after being the first “plus-size” model to be featured in SI Swimsuit in 2015. She went on to appear in three more issues and openly embraced her curves. The 32-year-old even spoke out about loving the scars on her body after a 2018 accident. Having her show off her stretch marks in an Instagram post was not unexpected. She too highlighted ones on her stomach, writing, “#tigerstripes #loveyourbodynow.”

Teigen is incredibly open about everything from her fertility struggles to plastic surgery. Her candor is one of the things that has made the 2014 SI Swimsuit cover model so popular. She even got over 150,000 likes on a photo showing off her bruises and stretch marks. She cheekily (and proudly) captioned the pic, “Stretchies, say hi!.”