9 Fun Facts About 2025 SI Swimsuit Rookie Denise Marie Bidot

From her favorite number to Jennifer Lopez song, get to know a bit more about the SI Swimsuit 2025 Rookie.

Denise Marie Bidot in Jamaica / SI Staff

Denise Bidot stepped onto her 2025 rookie shoot with SI Swimsuit as boldly as she lives her life. The plus-size model, who was the first to walk for straight-sized brands during New York Fashion Week in 2014, has been paving the way and inspiring others for over a decade, including her teenage daughter. In 2016, she launched the There is No Wrong Way to Be a Woman movement, which she now calls No Wrong Way Movement.  

“I wanted to be a bit more inclusive,” she explains. “I wanted everyone to feel just as empowered and as beautiful as I was seeing happening to women across the world. I just want people to feel boldly and unapologetic. We only get one shot at this, so we got to do it and really go for it.”

Bidot did exactly that in Jamaica for photographer Yu Tsai. The Miami native, who is half Puerto Rican, is the perfect addition to the SI Swimsuit family and a natural on set. Her authenticity prevailed and her personality shined brighter than the sun above.

Here are some fun facts about 2025 SI Swimsuit Rookie Denise Bidot that will have you as enamored by her as we are.

Lucy number 13

Despite it being a superstitious number for Americans, 13 is her favorite number. “I was born on a Friday 13th, and I am probably the biggest scaredy cat on the planet, but I do find Friday the 13th to be super good luck, and I love the number 13.”

Not so Sporty Spice

Bidot gave it her best effort, but she just isn’t the athletic type. “I tried every sport,” she reveals. “I tried basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, and I sucked at all of them. I realized early on that athletics were really not my thing. I scratched that out and that left me with art. And then I was like, okay, I'm going to be a painter.”

A true Peter Pan

“I changed what I wanted to be when I grow up constantly,” she admits. Now at 38, she adds, “I feel like I'm still evolving into what I want to be when I grow up, even though I'm grown.”

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She’s a cool mom

Her daughter Jocelyn may eyeroll at that, but Bidot and her teen daughter are super close. “My daughter makes fun of me about a lot of things, but we have a really playful, great relationship,” she says. “She laughs anytime that I say I bought something on ‘The TikTok shop’. She's like, ‘Wow, mom, you really can't be saying that out loud.’ And I agree. And then yesterday walking in here, a bunch of mature women were talking about ‘The TikTok shop’, and I understood. I was like, I'm good.”

From behind the camera to in front

“When I moved to L.A. I tried acting and all the doors closed on me,” she says. “My mom was like, ‘You should probably go to school for something, so I went to school for makeup because art, makeup, film made sense. I was like, somebody's going to see me.” Bidot came about modeling randomly when a photographer at a show she was doing the makeup for made the suggestion, and it was something that never crossed her mind, but is so glad she pursued it.

Her workout plan

Even though she says she isn’t the sporty type, she surprised herself when she realized her favorite workout is quite intense. “When I found out I was doing Sports Illustrated, I actually started trying out all the Instagram ads for classes,” she shares. “I was like, okay, well I'm going to try Orange Theory, and I'm going to try rowing. I'm going to try performance Pilates. My friends are all laughing because I fell in love with rowing. I love it. It's so hardcore. And I let out every frustration that I could possibly have.”

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HerStory

Almost 10 years ago, Bidot started the No Wrong Way Movement. “I always say, there's no wrong way to be a woman. We're going to make mistakes; we're going to go up; we're going to be great,” she reveals while also admitting, “We're going to suck.” But with that, “It's empowering because you'll make it through.”

JLo vibes

Fellow Puerto Rican Jennifer Lopez’s “Feelin’ So Good” is Bidot’s go-to when she needs a boost. “Music is such a part of your energy and your day,” she notes. “That one pops up in my IG stories all the time. When I don't know what to put on, I'll be like, I feel so good. And you really just vibe.”

Puerto Rico, that lovely island

She has traveled all over for her career, but Puerto Rico will always be her number one. “I don't care how many places I travel to, Puerto Rico is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.”