Swimsuit

Bethany Dempsey Models Painted-on Soccer Jersey in These 5 Pics

The North Carolina native posed for the 2010 SI Swimsuit Issue.

Cara O’Bleness

Bethany Dempsey

Bethany Dempsey was photographed by Yu Tsai in a New York studio.

When Bethany Dempsey appeared in the 2010 SI Swimsuit Issue, her feature was a bit different than many brand photo shoots that take place at the beach. Rather than jetting off to a far away tropical location, Dempsey found herself in a New York studio for her magazine spread, and there were no swimsuits involved whatsoever. 

Rather than modeling a variety of bikinis and one-pieces, Dempsey participated in a bodypaint photo shoot. She worked with photographer Yu Tsai and makeup artist Joanne Gair for the occasion, and sported a painted-on ruffled bikini top and low-waisted bottoms with a torn U.S. soccer jersey across upper half.

Her 2010 SI Swimsuit Issue feature was part of a spread that featured wives and girlfriends of World Cup soccer players. That year, Abigail Clancy, Melissa Satta and Sarah Brandner were also featured in the publication. 

Today, Dempsey is married to former pro soccer player Clint Dempsey, and the two are proud parents of six children. While she largely lives out of the spotlight these days, Clint often shares sweet family photos of the group of eight on Instagram.

“It’s so involved and intricate, I had no idea,” Dempsey said of the bodypaint process at the time of her photo shoot. “The results are amazing so far, so I can’t wait to see the final product.”

The final product, was in fact, incredible. See for yourself below, as we’ve selected a few highlights from Dempsey’s bodypaint feature from 14 years ago.

Bethany Dempsey
Bethany Dempsey
Bethany Dempsey
Bethany Demspey
Bethany Dempsey
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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.