Swimsuit

8 Fantastic Photos of Model Search Contestant McKenna Berkley in Body Paint

The Kansas City, Kans., native posed in a painted-on swimsuit in Anguilla in 2017.

Cara O’Bleness

McKenna Berkley

McKenna Berkley was photographed by Josie Clough in Anguilla.

McKenna Berkley was discovered during SI Swimsuit’s Model Search in 2017. That year, she participated in a unique body paint feature in Anguilla alongside fellow models Hunter McGrady, Anne de Paula and Lisa-Marie Jaftha. She was photographed by Josie Clough after being artfully painted by makeup artist Joanne Gair.

Ahead of her photo shoot, the Kansas City, Kans., native, who sported a painted-on blue-and-green one-piece swimsuit, admitted that she was a bit nervous to be wearing just body paint.

“After having the paint on, I feel totally clothed,” she later shared, “because it’s super thick, I feel covered, but it’s a super cool new feeling and experience.”

The model also noted how excited she was to be working with a publication that is known for opening doors for women.

“I just love the message. It’s all about strong women, it’s all about body empowerment,” Berkley said of SI Swimsuit. “[Being in the magazine has] always been a dream, it’s always been that goal.”

In fact, Berkley, who told SI Swimsuit she’d pursue musical theater as a career if she wasn’t a full-time model, called working with the franchise a career “benchmark.”

“It’s so exciting,” she gushed. “It was always such a huge dream, so that fact that it’s in process right now and that it’s happening is just incomprehensible.”

Below are eight of our favorite photos from Berkley’s 2017 body paint feature.

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Published
Cara O’Bleness

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara 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, Cara 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.