Q&A With SI Swimsuit Legend Hunter McGrady

The six-time brand star landed the cover of this year’s issue, and earned her status as an icon.

Hunter McGrady was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Tadashi Shoji. Shoes by Britt Netta. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson and Ettika. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Turning 60 has never looked so good. To celebrate the big milestone in style, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit called upon 27 “Legends”—women of all ages, sizes, tribes and backgrounds—who epitomize trailblazing influence and game-changing impact. 

From supermodel OGs who made their first splash on the magazine’s glossy pages in the 1970s and ’80s to stars newer to the SI Swimsuit sisterhood—the Legends symbolize diversity, inclusivity, empowerment and self-love.  

“The Legends hold the power to represent the collective us,” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day says. “Each one has played a significant role in the brand’s last 10 years, holding important conversations that have helped shift societal perceptions and led to incredible change for women.” 

The Legends had plenty to say in their one-on-one interviews, held during a three-day SI Swimsuit event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., where photo shoots for the 60th anniversary issue were underway amidst a flurry of glam teams, wardrobe stylists and veteran fashion lensmen. The Legends were unfiltered, funny, wise, compassionate, profound, and at times, searingly honest—proving that a woman’s inner beauty is her most important superpower of all.   

See more from the Legends photo shoot here.

Hunter McGrady returns to the SI Swimsuit Issue for her sixth year with the magazine as a cover model and a brand legend. Not only did the 31-year-old land her own solo cover this year, she also took part in a glamorous photo shoot with Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla., alongside fellow magazine icons.

What does being an SI Swimsuit Legend mean to you?

“It’s surreal, especially as a plus-size model. I never thought that this would be available to me. To be able to do this alongside people like Tyra Banks, and just powerful women, it’s inspiring. I always think of the little me, who would have loved to see somebody that represented my body type in something like this, and to be named a legend.”

What do you love most about being a woman?

“I get to fully just be me. I get to be in touch with my feminine side. I really felt like I stepped into my own when I became a mother. It went from being a girl to being a woman.”

Hunter McGrady was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Tadashi Shoji. Shoes by Britt Netta. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson and Ettika. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

View Hunter McGrady’s Mexico photo gallery here. View her Legends photo gallery here.

What do you love most about being yourself?

“I’m able to get back up, dust my boots off and continue moving forward. I love my ability to push forward and to have that endurance to make things happen.”

What can women do to better empower each other?

“I think the biggest thing is to let your walls down a little bit. We’re all very similar; a lot of us struggle with the same things. If you truly want success for other women, that’s when relationships and success for your own self starts to really blossom. I’m a firm believer in ‘everybody has a seat at the table.’”

Hunter McGrady was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Tadashi Shoji. Shoes by Britt Netta. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson and Ettika. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

What does personal empowerment mean to you?

“Being truly vulnerable with myself and really checking in where I am in my life. Learning to know the person who I’ve become each time. Seeing that fabric and that art come to life, seeing how far I’ve come and what I’ve been through is really beautiful and empowering to me.”