So, I found myself going down a bit of a rabbit hole the other day, looking into the whole “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit plus model” topic. It wasn’t something I set out to research heavily, just kinda stumbled across it and got curious.
First thing I did, obviously, was just type that phrase into my usual search engine. See what pops up. And yeah, lots of images right off the bat, which you’d expect. Big names started appearing pretty quickly in the results – folks like Ashley Graham, Hunter McGrady, Yumi Nu. Names I’d maybe heard peripherally but hadn’t really looked into before.
Digging a Little Deeper
I started clicking through some articles linked alongside the pictures. Not the super gossipy stuff, more the pieces talking about when SI started featuring models who weren’t the super-skinny type they were known for decades ago. It seemed like a pretty big shift for them.
Spent some time just scrolling through galleries from different years. Trying to see the progression, you know? It wasn’t just one model one year and done. It looked like they gradually started including more diversity in body shapes.
Observations Along the Way
- It definitely sparked a lot of conversation online. Reading through comments sections (yeah, I know, risky business) showed a real mix – lots of support, but also some people complaining it wasn’t like the “old days”.
- Found myself looking up interviews with some of the models themselves. Hearing their perspective on being part of the magazine, what it meant to them. That added another layer to it beyond just the images.
- It made me think about how much media representation has changed, even in just the last 10 or 15 years. What was maybe seen as groundbreaking a few years back is becoming more common now, which is probably a good thing.
Where I Landed
After poking around for an hour or so, I felt I had a better handle on it. It wasn’t some big academic study, just me satisfying my own curiosity. Started with a simple search query and ended up reading about industry changes, model experiences, and public reaction. It’s interesting how a simple search can lead you through different aspects of a topic like that. Just goes to show, there’s often more to the story than the headline suggests.
