Swimsuit

Chrissy Teigen Wore Nothing but Beaded Body Art in Zanzibar

The SI Swimsuit model dazzled in East Africa during her 2016 photoshoot.

Cara O’Bleness

Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Zanzibar. 

Chrissy Teigen first joined the SI Swimsuit family in 2010, when she traveled to the Maldives for a photoshoot with Walter Iooss Jr. The stunning feature earned her Rookie of the Year honors, and the Utah native returned to the fold in ’11, this time traveling to the Philippines. 

Teigen went on to land the cover of the 50th anniversary issue in 2014 alongside Nina Agdal and Lily Aldridge, after their photoshoots in the Cook Islands. The 38-year-old lifestyle entrepreneur’s most recent brand feature took place in 2017, when she traveled to Indonesia just a few months after giving birth to her oldest child, daughter Luna. She and her husband, R&B superstar John Legend, are now the proud parents of four. 

Teigen has been all over the world with the SI Swimsuit brand, but today we’re throwing it back to her 2016 feature in Zanzibar. While in East Africa, she modeled several stunning swimwear looks, and also stripped down to nothing but beaded body art (courtesy of makeup artist Joanne Gair) on her lower half for a few snaps. And while some may find the notion of wearing nothing but body art uncomfortable, Teigen noted during her brand feature in 2011 that she was always perfectly at home on the SI Swimsuit set. 

“It’s not hard being naked in front of this group of people, because everyone is so, first of all, warm and welcoming about like a curvy body and a beautiful silhouette, so that’s different,” Teigen admitted. “They appreciate it when you have that arch and when there’s some feminine qualities and when you have boobs so it’s different. Everyone’s really reassuring of the female, feminine body here so it’s really nice.”

Below are a few of our favorite photos from Zanzibar, captured by Ruven Afanador.

Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen

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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.