Swimsuit

Our 6 Favorite Photos of Swim Search Finalist and Body Positivity Influencer Gabriella Halikas

The ‘CEO of confidence’ participated in the open casting call in 2021.

Cara O’Bleness

Gabriella Halikas

Gabriella Halikas was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City.

A finalist in the 2021 SI Swim Search open casting call, Gabriella Halikas posed for photographer Yu Tsai in Atlantic City. Since her SI Swimsuit feature, the 26-year-old went on to sign with Ford Models.

As the self-proclaimed “CEO of confidence,” Halikas uses her TikTok and Instagram platforms to promote body positivity and encourages acceptance for all shapes and sizes within the industry.

“Confidence is having a deep understanding of yourself and your self-worth and always being unapologetically yourself,” she previously told SI Swimsuit. “Confidence also means doing what you love and not caring what others think, and just knowing that your beauty and worth is not determined by your size or exterior appearance.”

Halikas recently walked the Miami Swim Week runway, and afterward, used her voice to facilitate a conversation about the lack of diversity when it came to curve or plus size models working alongside her.

“Don’t listen to what the tabloids and the media say is what’s beautiful and what’s not, because at the end of the day, that comes from within,” she also told SI Swimsuit. “Really hone in on that inner confidence and don’t listen so much externally to what’s hot and what’s not, because our bodies should never be a trend.”

Below are six of our favorite photos of Halikas in Atlantic City.

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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.