Model, Author Emily Ratajkowski’s 8 Best SI Swim Photos in Hawai’i

The mom and podcast host posed for the magazine two years in a row and earned three features.

Cara O’Bleness | Oct 2, 2023

Emily Ratajkowski was photographed by Yu Tsai in Kauai, Hawai’i.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Emily Ratajkowski posed for back-to-back SI Swimsuit Issues in 2014 and ’15. Her first brand feature took her to St. Lucia, where she posed on the beach and participated in a unique bodypaint feature with makeup artist Joanne Gair and photographer Walter Iooss Jr. The following year, Ratajkowski traveled to Kauai, Hawai’i, where she posed in front of Yu Tsai’s lens.

In addition to her work as a model, the 32-year-old is also a mom, author of the New York Times best-selling book, My Body, and a podcast host. On High Low With EmRata, she discusses everything from relationships to politics with guests like 2021 SI Swimsuit stars Anitta and Tinashe. Ratajkowski is also an entrepreneur, as she’s the founder of swimwear brand Inamorata.

Despite her many accolades, the model admitted to Elle that, just like the rest of us, she sometimes goes through periods where she’s feeling less than confident. When that’s the case, she tries to be gentle with herself.

“Give yourself a break,” Ratajkowski advised. “This is a message that’s super important to me. I feel like women, and young women especially, are just so hard on themselves and constantly comparing themselves. I don’t know if I see that as much with men, certainly not physically. I think that you really want to be the sexiest, the smartest, the most hardworking—the everything. And that’s great that those are the things that we all want. But it’s also important to realize we’re human beings, and you’re not always going to be all the things that you want to be in every given moment.”

Words of wisdom from the two-time SI Swimsuit model. Below are a few of our favorite snapshots from her feature in Hawai’i.

Emily Ratajkowski — Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Now through Nov. 1, 100% of SI Swimsuit’s portion of proceeds from cover prints purchased here will be donated to the Maui Strong Fund, which is helping to support the people and places of Maui affected by the recent wildfires.

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Published Oct 2, 2023

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she 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, O’Bleness 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.