Kathy Jacobs’s Groundbreaking SI Swim Debut Will Give You Major Travel Inspo

The 2020 Swim Search co-winner made history with her rookie photoshoot in ’21.

Ananya Panchal | Dec 6, 2023

Kathy Jacobs was photographed by Yu Tsai in Turks and Caicos.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Swim Search alumna Kathy Jacobs entered the modeling industry several decades ago and has carried her belief that beauty truly transcends age throughout her career. She started as a petite model in the ’80s with Ford Models and applied to SI Swimsuit’s open casting call in 2020.

“I picked out a blue bikini hoping it was the right choice, put it on and got into the line for my photoshoot. I stood there nervous because I really wanted to show that a woman can pose at 55 and look good in a bikini. Haley [Kalil, 2018 co-winner] came over and gave us a posing tip–pretty hands and pretty feet–so I loosened up my knuckles to the best of my ability to prepare for my shoot,” Jacobs recalled. “Once I was in front of the camera, my anxiety melted away, and I was in my comfort zone and was able to pose.”

The now-59 year-old was named co-winner of that year’s Swim Search after posing for photographer Yu Tsai in Turks and Caicos. She returned to the fold the following year as a rookie and was captured in Tampa, Fla., making history as the magazine’s oldest rookie model.

“Just to have people accept me as I am, it helps other women to be able to accept themselves how they are,” she reflected. “I think it’s more impactful for me to win now at 57, I think people see that as inspiring. Even though I’ve experienced and done a lot of things in life, it’s still scary for me to come in as a rookie, but at the same time, you shouldn’t be afraid to fail.”

Below are five phenomenal and powerful photos from the mom of one’s SI Swimsuit photoshoot in Turks and Caicos.

Kathy Jacobs was photographed by Yu Tsai in Turks & Caicos. Swimsuit by MAUI GIRL.

Kathy Jacobs was photographed by Yu Tsai in Turks & Caicos. Swimsuit by Rudi Gernreich.

Kathy Jacobs was photographed by Yu Tsai in Turks & Caicos.

Kathy Jacobs was photographed by Yu Tsai in Turks & Caicos. Swimsuit by Sports Illustrated Swim.

Kathy Jacobs was photographed by Yu Tsai in Turks & Caicos. Swimsuit by MAUI GIRL.

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Published Dec 6, 2023

ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When she is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, Panchal can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast. Panchal has a bachelor’s in communications and journalism from Boston University.