Swimsuit

Natalie Mariduena Embraces Nature in These 8 SI Swim Photos From Belize

The model and clothing designer posed for the annual magazine two years in a row.

Cara O’Bleness

Natalie Mariduena

Natalie Mariduena was photographed by Yu Tsai in Belize.

When Natalie Mariduena posed for the SI Swimsuit Issue as a rookie in 2021, it was her first professional modeling opportunity—but you’d never know it, judging on the gorgeous snapshots that resulted from her feature with photographer James Macari in Hollywood, Fla. 

The Illinois native returned to the fold the following year, and traveled a bit farther from home for her ’22 feature. Mariduena jetted off to Belize for her sophomore magazine appearance, where she posed in front of Yu Tsai’s lens. 

While Mariduena described her photoshoot in Belize as “so much different” than her feature in the U.S., she was able to put some important learnings into practice the second time around.

“I learned so much from the photographer and everybody on set,” she told SI Swimsuit of her rookie photoshoot. “The No. 1 thing is obviously to be confident and comfortable and just own it. There’s so many people there championing for you and cheering you on. You just want to put on your best performance. Two, and this is something I never realized before, movement in modeling is so important. You never want to strike a hard frozen pose. You kind of have to just flow and be fluid. And that’s when the best shots come.”

In addition to her work as a model, Mariduena is president of David Dobrik LLC and is the founder and creator of her own lifestyle clothing brand, Eladay. In honor of her various professional successes, we’re throwing it back to a few of our favorite snaps from her SI Swimsuit feature in Belize.

Natalie Mariduena
Natalie Mariduena
Natalie Mariduena
Natalie Mariduena
Natalie Mariduena
Natalie Mariduena
Natalie Mariduena
Natalie Mariduena

Now through Nov. 1, 100% of SI Swimsuit’s portion of proceeds from cover prints purchased here will be donated to the Maui Strong Fund, which is helping to support the people and places of Maui affected by the recent wildfires.

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Cara O’Bleness

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.