6 Dreamy Photos of 2020 Swim Search Co-Winner Tanaye White in Turks and Caicos

The social media influencer makes her dreams a reality in the island paradise.

Martha Zaytoun | Jul 19, 2023

Tanaye White was photographed by Yu Tsai in Turks and Caicos.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Tanaye White began her journey with SI Swimsuit in 2018, throwing her name in the ring for the brand’s model search. She was a finalist in the open casting call that year but didn’t end her pursuit there. In ’20, the social media influencer was a Swim Search co-winner, earning a spot on set in Turks and Caicos with photographer Yu Tsai.

It wasn’t easy for White to wrap her head around her accomplishment. “I have been on this journey for two years,” she said. “I just can’t believe that I’m finally here, I’m shooting for the magazine, [and] in a few months I’m gonna see myself in those pages.”

The model has appeared in three consecutive SI Swimsuit Issues, and White attributes her success to perseverance. “At the end of the day, your dreams wait for nothing,” she remarked. “So you just have to live every day like it's your last, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Being a part of the SI Swimsuit team meant more than just a feature in the magazine for the marketing professional. “As a kid, I felt like I was the outcast. It wasn’t until I got to college and started seeing people who looked like me as well as people who come from such diverse backgrounds that I really learned to own and love who I am,” she said. “To even think that I have this opportunity to be within the pages [of the 2020 SI Swimsuit issue] just blows my mind.”

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Published Jul 19, 2023

MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2023, she worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Zaytoun loves to watercolor and oil paint, run and water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.