For the Girls: Celebrating the Evolution of SI Swimsuit

2025 cover model Lauren Chan reflects on the changing face of the SI Swimsuit brand and who it speaks to today.

Meet the Covers Models. Every 2025 Location. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746124296/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jt6hwg7n6ec5mz0a3k.jpg. 2025 Swim Trends. For the Girls. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746819307/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtv8pmv26wnm6kewp5.jpg. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746299713/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtbs5nqhnc6yn4bpq2.jpg

“Who are they even doing this for anymore?? Women??” was the befuddled, vitriolic question that flashed across my screen when my return to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit was revealed on social media in March. Presumably, the commenter was upset that I don’t meet the patriarchal beauty standard of a young, white, sample-size, cisgender woman, unworthy of being in his catalog of fantasy. “This makes zero sense!” he wrote.

Now listen—since first appearing in SI Swimsuit in 2023 as a proud lesbian—I’ve fielded a decent amount of online hate but have learned to refrain from engaging with the trolls. This year’s crude comments, however, were hard to ignore. They captured a disquieting query that played on a loop in my mind for months: Who is SI Swimsuit for?

The answer, I’m proud to report, is women. Spoiler alert: That does not sit well with the chauvinists who believe we are here as props for their pleasure. As these guys tend to call out mid-tantrum on my posts, the magazine “has always shown scantily clad women in a space geared towards men. The goal and audience don’t change because of your feelings.” But therein lies the point: Since its inception in 1964, SI Swimsuit has changed. Its focus is no longer the male libido, but rather a woman’s POV.

Lauren Chan was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by PQ Swim. Necklace by Andi Bagus. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

And, no, that’s not just my feeling. There is a plethora of evidence in past editions, the most illustrative of which is a 1999 article written by a male SI writer on set at a bodypaint shoot. It’s full of phrases that would sound the cancel alarm today like, “It was up to me to maintain my professionalism … when Heidi Klum stood topless before me poolside … it was a little hard,” and, “We’ve got some serious wood here.” The author stockpiled a few “minutely detailed memories,” writing, “I can close my eyes and see Yamila playing saucily to the camera … I can see that she is a bit chilly.” Yes, dear reader, reducing women to their body parts for masturbatory material was an industry norm.

Fast forward to my rookie year and the articles—written mostly by women and queer folks—highlight then 81-year-old Martha Stewart’s decades-long moguldom, transgender singer Kim Petras’s Grammy Award-winning career and gymnast Olivia Dunne’s status as the top-earning female college athlete in the country. The shift is clear: The intention of SI Swimsuit today is to celebrate women as 360-degree people while exemplifying what we can accomplish and spotlighting underrepresented communities. Most importantly, this brand is now a beacon of inspiration—a repossession of agency for the multitude of women who are able to see themselves reflected in the pages.

dark. Buy Now. SIP July Swimsuit Issue. Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Swimsuit Issue

This has become especially pronounced in the last decade or so. Under editor in chief MJ Day, the SI Swimsuit staff—especially at the highest levels—is almost exclusively made up of women, and they have made a habit of breaking barriers in media. In 2017 Swim Search was introduced, giving countless women the opportunity to become part of the SI Swimsuit brand; five years later Pay With Change, a gender-equity advertising initiative, was launched. The staff’s efforts are perhaps most apparent in the headline-making diversity of their covers. Before 2014, only one Pacific Islander, three Black and eight Latina models had graced the cover; since then, more than 40% of cover stars have broken the beauty ideal with diversity across race, size, gender and age. 

The kicker? All of that work to rebrand the institution is, in turn, changing SI Swimsuit’s audience. The current stats: Women now make up 60% of followers on social media and female readership has increased nearly 40% in recent years.

Katie Austin was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

And the fandom did not disappoint when addressing the troll in my comment section. My favorite clapback: “A woman’s body existing for anything other than a man’s pleasure??? Unbelievable!” More earnestly, one said, “In this diversity I feel represented—finally—and it feels like freedom.”

Another person answered the question that started it all, declaring that SI Swimsuit is “for the girls!” And while I emphatically agree (and find satisfaction in writing this as the first out lesbian with her own cover), I must leave you with another message of inclusivity. SI Swimsuit is for anyone who shares our vision to represent women progressively and shatter societal perceptions that reduce a woman’s worth to her appearance.