Check Out These 4 Jaw-Dropping Pics From Kelly Hughes’s Historic SI Swim Feature in Miami

The mom of one was the first model to pose for the magazine with a visible C-section scar.

Kelly Hughes was photographed by Fumie Hoppe in Florida.Fumie Hoppe/Sports Illustrated

Kelly Hughes didn’t have to travel far to make history with SI Swimsuit. The Florida native was photographed by Fumie Hoppe in Miami for last year’s issue, and became the first woman to visibly display her cesarean section scar in the magazine’s history. Hughes is mom to one son, Harlem, whom she welcomed in 2018, and even walked the Miami Swim Week runway with her child in July at the W South Beach.

“I was very upset when the doctors told me we had to do a C-section because that was not my birth plan. I started crying… it was my first lesson in motherhood. Even though I had my plans of what I wanted, I didn’t want to put my baby at risk out of my selfishness,” she told SI Swimsuit, and noted that once she altered her mindset and found power in her scar, everything changed. “There’s an incredible shift happening today with inclusivity and normalizing the changes our bodies go through as women, so to be a part of this moment is so incredible and liberating. The thing that I was most insecure about became the thing that empowered me the most.”

The model, who has been in the industry for more than two decades and is represented by Next Model Management, uses her platform to share fun career pics and fashion inspo in addition to adorable mom-and-son content.

Hughes is also the founder and designer of unisex jewelry line, HÜES, which she launched in 2009. Below are four of our favorite photos from her historic SI Swimsuit feature last year.

Fumie Hoppe/Sports Illustrated

Fumie Hoppe/Sports Illustrated

Fumie Hoppe/Sports Illustrated

Fumie Hoppe/Sports Illustrated

Now through Nov. 1, 100% of SI Swimsuit’s portion of proceeds from cover prints purchased here will be donated to the Maui Strong Fund, which is helping to support the people and places of Maui affected by the recent wildfires.

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