Swimsuit

Jordan Chiles Talks Embracing Beauty on Set of Her SI Swimsuit Cover

The athlete opened up about her ‘surreal’ experience on location in this behind the scenes clip.

Cara O’Bleness

Jordan Chiles was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus.
Jordan Chiles was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

Gymnast Jordan Chiles has plenty of accolades to her name—including two Olympic medals and two individual NCAA titles with UCLA. In May, the 24-year-old athlete added to her repertoire when she landed one of four covers of the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue.

Chiles traveled to The Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Fla., where she was photographed by Ben Horton for the occasion. And while you’ve no doubt seen the stunning gallery of images that resulted from her time on set, today we’re unveiling an exclusive behind the scenes video that Chiles captured while on location in the Sunshine State.

While clad in the brown Bad N Bare two-piece that would go on to land her the cover, Chiles joked that she felt like The Little Mermaid actress Halle Bailey while posing atop a rock formation in the water. The athlete also remarked that her experience on set was “surreal” and opened up about how she felt seen in her own skin.

“This is really a blessing from God, especially knowing that only back in 2020, I embraced my beauty and knowing that I have people around me supporting that and I get to express it in a different way is definitely really cool,” she stated. “ ... And if it wasn’t for the people around me, especially my older sister, I wouldn’t be in this position right now.”

Chiles, who has four siblings, was accompanied on set by her older sister, Jazmin, who served as her hairstylist for the photo shoot. She credits her sister with helping her to “embrace everything that we have that God has given us.”

The athlete, who has been outspoken about her struggle to appreciate her beauty in the past, echoed similar sentiments in an Instagram caption on May 14: “If you only knew how long it took me to appreciate my beauty,” she wrote. “The number of times I told myself and heard negative things. These muscles have allowed me to accomplish so much! And now That Girl is a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model!!!”

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

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Cara O’Bleness
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.

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