Swimsuit

7 Gorgeous Photos of Christie Valdiserri in Turks and Caicos

The SI Swim Search finalist was featured in the magazine in 2020.

Cara O’Bleness

SI Swimsuit 2020: Christie Valdiserri Moving Portrait

Christie Valdiserri made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2020 as part of the brand’s Swim Search open casting call. Outspoken about her journey with alopecia, Valdiserri made history as SI Swimsuit’s first bald swimsuit model.

A passionate dancer and fitness instructor, Valdiserri had modeling experience prior to her SI Swimsuit feature, but she stated that the magazine feature was her first time posing without a wig.

While Valdiserri called her journey with alopecia “confusing,” she added that the process continues to teach her more and more about herself.

“It has taught me invaluable lessons about life that truly could not be taught to me in any other way. My new focus is loving myself bald and feeling confident bald rather than putting all of my energy into growing my hair back, because you just never know,” she said. “So I’d rather focus on loving me in all shapes and forms and someday be able to say the words, ‘I don't even want my hair to grow back anymore, I love this look on me.’”

Valdiserri also walked the SI Swimsuit runway at Miami Swim Week, and in a beautiful moment, she removed her wig at the end of the catwalk.

“I was so nervous backstage leading up to the moment, but knew in my heart I had to do it. I had to do it for myself, for all the tears I’ve cried about this condition, for all the girls and women out there who want to rip off their wigs but are too afraid to, and I had to do it for all the haters that have made me feel like this was a flaw and something I was supposed to hide,” she shared.

Today, Valdiserri continues to model and is the founder of The Baldtourage, an online community for women and girls who have experienced hair loss.

Below are seven beautiful photos photographer Yu Tsai captured of Valdiserri in Turks and Caicos.

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Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, O’Bleness loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.

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