When Hunter McGrady First Learned of Pregnancy, She Thought Her Career Was Over

The SI Swimsuit model advocates for more for women.

When Hunter McGrady first found out she was pregnant, she feared her career might be over. The SI Swimsuit model opened up about her frank reaction to the news in a live panel during SI Swimsuit launch week in Hollywood, Fla. The talk, presented by Frida Mom, paired SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day and models/moms Maye Musk, Kelly Hughes and McGrady together to talk about the raw realities of motherhood.

“It’s funny, I thought while I was pregnant, ‘I’m at the height of my career, I guess it’s over.’ And that’s just what I was always told,” shared McGrady, whose son, Hudson, recently turned 1. ”And then I had my son and I got this rush of, ‘Oh, I’m just getting started.’ I’m really working hard to change that narrative to ‘we actually can do it all if we want to.’”

An impassioned McGrady continued, saying, “Just because you’re a mom doesn’t mean that you live your life solely for your baby. Of course, you do that, but also don’t forget, you are still so worthy and so powerful and so incredible and deserve to live out your dreams, deserve to do what you want to do. We’re like superwomen—we can do it all if we want to do it all.”

McGrady is not alone in that quest. SI Swimsuit has a long history working with models who are also successful working mothers. In addition to McGrady, the 2022 issue included Katrina Scott (mother of two and fitness entrepreneur extreme) as well as cover models Maye Musk (three kids), Kim Kardashian (four) and Ciara (three).