Olympian Ronda Rousey Sizzled on the Shores of St. Vincent in Nothing But Bodypaint

The retired professional wrestler landed the cover of the SI Swimsuit Issue after her 2016 photo shoot with Frederic Pinet.

Ronda Rousey was photographed by Frederic Pinet in Petit St. Vincent. / Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Retired pro wrestler Ronda Rousey didn’t hesitate for even a moment when she got the call from SI Swimsuit with an opportunity to pose for the iconic annual magazine. She never imagined, however, what a powerful and exciting experience it would be and that she would be asked back to do it all over again. The athlete made her debut in 2015, traveling to Captiva, Fla., with photographer Walter Iooss Jr. The following year, Rousey graced the front of the 2016 issue, following her electric and super daring bodypaint feature with Frederic Pinet and artist Joanne Gair in Petit St. Vincent.

“Well, after I did the swimsuit issue last year, I knew that I wanted to do it again. When they approached me with the idea of doing body paint with Joann Gair, I mean, she’s a legend of her industry, and it was really a huge privilege and opportunity to work with her. I was really excited to be a canvas for her. I was really looking forward to seeing what ideas they came up with,” the 37-year-old recalled. She donned a fierce black-and-white suit with a tiger face on it, inspired by a piece by We Are Handsome.

Rousey, who made history as the the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo in 2008 added how special it was to land a cover that particular year—when the brand featured its first plus size model, Ashley Graham, on the front of the issue as well, in addition to at-the-time sophomore and now franchise Legend Hailey Clauson.

“The reaction has been amazing because there is no woman that could look at these covers and not be like, ‘That’s what I could look like,’ or, ‘I pretty much already look like one of these chicks.’ It really makes beauty seem so much more attainable to people. There have been times in my adolescence where I gave up. I was like, ‘I’m just never going to be pretty. I’m never going to be like one of those people on the front of magazines,’” the New York Times best-selling author candidly shared. “It always seemed really strange to me that the projection of how people are in advertisements looked nothing like the people who were actually buying them. I never understood that mismatch, and now I really start to see that the people you see in the media are a lot more like people actually are.”

Below are four powerful, inspiring, beautiful photos of Rousey in Petit St. Vincent.

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated