Our Next SI Swimsuit 2022 Rookie is Kamie Crawford!

Kamie feels a responsibility to use her voice for good.

Kamie Crawford is a personality in more ways than one. The Potomac Maryland native is a former Miss Teen USA, content creator, co-host of MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show, podcast host and model. And now she’s adding SI Swimsuit rookie to her long list of impressive endeavors. But what the 29-year-old loves most about her various platforms is being able to use them to raise awareness of important issues.

In 2021, Crawford was very involved with Stacey Abrams’s Civics for the Culture initiative, helping to get BIPOC voters out to the polls, and now she acts as a Voter Engagement Ambassador for the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. Crawford also recently teamed up with the California Department of Health, the Pandemic Action Network and the NAACP to fight vaccine hesitancy amongst Black and Brown communities. Plus, she is LGBTQ+ affirming and is always looking for ways to support marginalized groups and communities.

“I’ve always been very opinionated, but it took a while for me to realize that my opinion mattered and that it holds value,” she says. “As a Black woman with a platform, I feel like I have a responsibility to use my voice and be active in my pursuit of social and political change. I want my future children to be able to live in a safe world that honors and values their existence; that is definitely worth fighting for.”

Crawford wants to use her influence to amplify the importance of body positivity and diversity. She feels being an SI Swimsuit rookie will aid that mission.

“I think of being a rookie as a huge leap forward in my life and career,” says Crawford. “Having this kind of platform can open so many doors and put me in rooms with people who can help me to continue to be the change that I want to see in any space I’m involved in. I’m really excited about the opportunity to expand my horizons in that way.”

Speaking of expanding horizons, it seems like the multihyphenate couldn’t possibly tackle more in her career. But, of course, Crawford sees no limits when it comes to what’s possible in her future.

“I want to be the person whose face you see in every section of Target: Home, Kids, Beauty, Fashion, everywhere,” she says. “I’d love to start my own line of literally everything and be able to use my creativity in the retail space. Outside of that, I want to get into more production opportunities for television and streaming. I come up with ideas all the time and would love a place to put them into motion.”