A Look Back at Birthday Girl Chrissy Teigen’s Stunning SI Swimsuit Debut in the Maldives

The brand legend and repeat cover girl has posed for the magazine nine separate years.

Chrissy Teigen was photographed by Walter Iooss Jr. in the Maldives. / Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

When supermodel Chrissy Teigen made her SI Swimsuit debut almost 15 years ago, she couldn’t have even imagined what the partnership would turn into. The 39-year-old, who celebrates her birthday today, first posed for the 2010 issue, traveling to the Maldives with photographer Walter Iooss Jr. The Utah-born, Washington native returned to the fold the following six years, visiting the most exciting new places like Indonesia, Zanzibar, Chile, Seychelles, the Philippines and more. In 2014 she landed on the cover of the 50th anniversary issue alongside brand stalwarts Nina Agdal and Lily Aldridge in the Cook Islands.

In the sweetest full-circle moment, a decade later, she posed for a solo cover of this year’s 2024 magazine. The mom of four, who shares her kids Luna, Miles, Esti and Wren with husband and singer John Legend, made the decision to be photographed in her beautiful Beverly Hills home. It was a choice that made perfect sense, and most accurately represented who the best-selling author, culinary personality and entrepreneur is today. The podcast host also participated in an iconic group feature celebrating the milestone 60th anniversary issue.

To Teigen, being an official brand “legend” means “breaking barriers,” and she couldn’t be more proud to be a part of a trailblazing and inspiring sisterhood of women.

“SI Swimsuit is breaking the mold of what people think beauty standards are, of what beauty should be. They’ve always celebrated women as whole [people]. It’s not just this is a beautiful woman to look at, but this is a beautiful person to be around,” she shared while on location with the team in Hollywood, Fla. “It’s something I realized from my very first meeting with MJ [Day, editor in chief], even before getting into a swimsuit. We sat and talked for hours about our dreams, goals and visions for my future. That was 14 years ago. Seeing the magazine evolve, and seeing MJ turn it into this magazine with such incredible, diverse women is really beautiful to see. It helps to share struggles and to be able to band together through the hardships of being a woman, the things that come with being a mother, the things that come with being a daughter to parents that are getting older, or all those different changes that women go through in life. So, it’s really special to have that bond where you feel like wow, I’m not alone.”

In honor of her big day, today, Nov. 30, we’re taking a look back at the feature that started it all. Below are some of our favorite images from her 2019 photo shoot in the Maldives.

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated