5 Stunning Photos of Gabriella Halikas in Atlantic City

The Swim Search finalist made her debut with the magazine in 2021.
Ella Halikas was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City.

Ella Halikas was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City.


Ella Halikas is a self-proclaimed “CEO of confidence.” The 2021 SI Swim Search finalist has been growing her presence on social media for a few years and has amassed more than 850,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. Her fans come to her for body positivity content, fashion inspiration and to learn how to be the most confident versions of themselves.

“Confidence is having a deep understanding of yourself and your self-worth and always being unapologetically yourself,” she said. “Confidence also means doing what you love and not caring what others think, and just knowing that your beauty and worth is not determined by your size or exterior appearance.”

Halikas knows that the saying “beauty comes from within” can be cheesy, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Everyone feels confident in different ways, and for the 25-year-old, getting outside for a quick walk is an effective mood booster for days when she’s feeling insecure.

“Don’t listen to what the tabloids and the media say is what’s beautiful and what’s not, because at the end of the day, that comes from within,” she states. “Really hone in on that inner confidence and don’t listen so much externally to what’s hot and what’s not, because our bodies should never be a trend.”

Here are five of our favorite photos from Halikas’s 2021 photoshoot with Yu Tsai in Atlantic City.

MTgyNDUyODI3MTc0NDc4OTc5
MTgyNDUyODYyMzM5NTIzNzE1
MTgyNDUyODUwNzk2Nzk5MTA3
MTgyNDUyODcyODA4NTA2NDk5
MTgyNDUyODAxOTQxNTQ2MzEy

Published
Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When she is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, Panchal can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast. Panchal has a bachelor’s in communications and journalism from Boston University.