Meet Your Cover Model: Maye Musk

Jordi Lippe-McGraw | May 15, 2022

Maye Musk is no stranger to the modeling industry. She began her career more than five decades ago but much of her success has happened later in her life, scoring prominent magazine covers in her 70s. The 74-year-old even appeared in a Beyoncé music video at 65 and became CoverGirl’s oldest spokesmodel at age 69. Musk embodies the idea that aging shouldn’t hold you back from pursuing your dreams.

View Maye Musks Full 2022 Gallery

In fact, the role model struggled for a period of time. In her memoir, A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty and Success, Musk details having to work five jobs at once to support her three children as a single mom. But, despite the financial hardship, Musk went after her goals and ultimately earned two master’s degrees and became a respected dietitian. All the while, the author raised three extremely successful children, including film producer Tosca Musk, restaurateur Kimbal Musk and billionaire Elon Musk.

Maye Musk was photographed by Yu Tsai in Belize. Swimsuit by Maygel Coronel. Pants by Caroline Constas. Earrings by Cleopatra's Bling.

“At 74, Maye continues to work every day to inspire those around her,” says SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day.

Musk was photographed by Yu Tsai in Belize wearing a variety of swimsuits like a floral BAHÍA MARÍA one-piece, a ruffled Maygel Coronel suit, a cutout suit by OYE and a Zimmermann two-piece.

Maye is one of four women on the issue’s cover this year—the others are Grammy Award–winning singer Ciara, musician/fashion entrepreneur Yumi Nu and pop culture icon Kim Kardashian—to headline one of the most diverse issues in the magazine’s history.

“The journey we’ve been on—to break out of the mold the world put us in—may sound familiar,” says Day. “It’s certainly familiar to the women we’ve chosen to be our cover models: Maye, Ciara, Yumi, Kim. So in this issue, we encourage readers to see these models as we see them: multifaceted, multitalented—and sexy while they’re at it.”

She adds, “The world may label them one way, but we want to focus our lens on all the ways they see themselves and how they own who they are. No matter your age, whether you’re a new mom, partner, sister, entertainer, athlete, entrepreneur, advocate, student, mentor, role model, leader or dreamer—or all of the above—we want to celebrate these women, their evolution and the many dimensions of who they are.”

Maye Musk was photographed by Yu Tsai in Belize.

You can view the 2022 photo shoot for Kim Kardashian here.

You can view the 2022 photo shoot for Ciara here.

You can view the 2022 photo shoot for Yumi Nu here.

You can view the 2022 photo shoot for Maye Musk here.