Kristen Louelle’s Printed Swimwear Brought Attitude to Her Photo Shoot in Atlantic City

The 2021 Swim Search finalist was fierce and fabulous during her SI Swimsuit feature.

Cara O’Bleness | Mar 13, 2024

Kristen Louelle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

As a finalist in the 2021 Swim Search, Kristen Louelle traveled to Atlantic City with photographer Yu Tsai, where she posed for a stunning spread of images along the beach. That year, Louelle was amongst 12 additional open casting call finalists, and while she wasn’t declared that year’s winner, she certainly made her mark.

While in New Jersey for her SI Swimsuit feature, Louelle modeled several stunning swimwear looks. She donned a few bright bikinis along with multiple daring, printed suits—one of which was a green-and-black patterned one-piece that featured only a partial top on one side.

“At 4:00 a.m., I had to get my hair and makeup done,” Louelle told Fox News of her time on location. “MJ [Day, editor in chief] was right next to me. It didn’t feel real at all. It didn’t feel real when I was at the beach. But I also felt, like, finally. All those early morning workouts, juggling kids and leading my career—it’s finally paying off. And they made me feel so sexy, so confident. It was intimidating because there were so many beautiful, talented women around me. But they all just made me feel so empowered and sexy. One person who really helped me was Jasmine Sanders, the Golden Barbie. She helped me with posing and just hyped me up. She was so encouraging, warm and kind. I’ve never felt more confident and more sexy in my entire life than I did that day.”

Outside of modeling, Louelle is a proud mom and podcast host. She and her husband, Tyler Gaffney, share three young children, and she cohosts the Barely Filtered podcast alongside Aurora Culpo.

Below are a few of our favorite snapshots from Louelle’s SI Swimsuit photo shoot in 2011.

Kristen Louelle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by IZTALI.

Kristen Louelle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by Matte Collection.

Kristen Louelle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by IZTALI.

Kristen Louelle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by Matte Collection.

Published Mar 13, 2024

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara 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, Cara 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.