Brooklyn Decker’s Mission to Empower Women Is Perfectly Aligned With SI Swimsuit

The actress is a franchise legend and former cover girl.

Brooklyn Decker was photographed by Warwick Saint in Peter Island, British Virgin Islands. / Warwick Saint/Sports Illustrated

Brooklyn Decker is forever grateful to the SI Swimsuit franchise for being the “launchpad” for her career. The What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Just Go With It actress made her debut with the magazine in Colombia in 2006, and posed every year through 2011, landing on the cover of the ’10 issue after her photo shoot with Walter Iooss Jr. in the Maldives.

The Grace and Frankie star returned to the franchise again in 2014 for an iconic 50th anniversary feature. And, this year the stalwart graced us with her presence yet again for the special 60th-anniversary issue alongside 26 other trailblazing SI Swim alumni, as an official Legend of the brand.

“I just feel lucky to be part of this group of diverse and storied women. Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit] launched my career when I was 18-years-old. Growing up, my mom would get the magazine every year because they always showcased powerful, beautiful women who were strong and constantly in motion,” the 37-year-old shared while on location of the photo shoot with photographer Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. “To be a Legend speaks volumes about the magazine and its loyalty to the women on the pages, and its commitment to launching careers and helping sustain careers—and continuing to showcase women long after the industry has told them they’re over. Being a Legend is more about the power of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit than it is about any one of us individually. Empowering women, in its simplest terms, is supporting them literally—supporting their businesses and supporting their ventures. Women tend to be more empathetic and more giving and are usually the ones who are volunteering. We volunteer more, we advocate more, we canvass more. So how can we support women? We are already doing it.”

SI Swimsuit not only gave Decker a platform and foot in the door of the modeling, fashion and entertainment industries, but also an incredible network of tenacious, inspiring women and “access to capital” which now allows her to invest in women and pay it forward. She is also the former cofounder of the digital wardrobe app Finery. Today the Ohio-born, North Carolina native is married to retired professional tennis player Andy Roddick. The duo tied the knot in 2009 and are now parents to two kids, Stevie and Hank.

Below are some of our favorite images from Decker‘s 2011 shoot with Warwick Saint in Peter Island, British Virgin Islands.

Warwick Saint/Sports Illustrated

Warwick Saint/Sports Illustrated

Warwick Saint/Sports Illustrated

Warwick Saint/Sports Illustrated

Warwick Saint/Sports Illustrated

Warwick Saint/Sports Illustrated