It’s a good thing that Sports Illustrated has a swimsuit issue.
Martha Stewart appeared on TODAY on May 15 to introduce her next venture — and it’s not a new company, a collection of housekeeping advice, or even a well-crafted dish.
Stewart announced to Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie that she is one of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models, which will hit newsstands on May 18.
Ruven Afanador, a well-known Dominican photographer, shot Stewart in the Dominican Republic. This year’s cover models are Megan Fox, Kim Petras, and Brooks Nader, but Stewart, at 81, is the oldest cover model in SI Swimsuit’s history.
She likes that picture, Stewart remarked, standing next to her ultra-glam cover shot, which has tousled hair and a fresh, summery vibe. She is kind of shaking since it’s strange to go to an island and then change into nine different bathing suits in front of all those individuals. It turned out OK.
It turned out more than OK, Hoda said. She inquired of the homemaking tycoon about the creation of the magnificent cover. Stewart said that the concept was suggested to her in November of last year, and that she needed to be ready to pose by the end of January.
Stewart joked that it was a request she had never had before. Being on the cover at her age was also a challenge. She believes she met the challenge.
The grandmother of two, wearing a bikini by Monday Swimwear, a cover-up by Torso Creations, and accessories by Anita Ko and Jacob & Co., reclines on a blanket-covered seat with the natural elegance and refined style she is renowned for. It’s no surprise, given that her early success as a model shows through in everything she does.
She is still going to Pilates every other day since it’s so great, Stewart adds, adding that she “didn’t starve herself” but prepped for the cover shoot by foregoing bread and spaghetti while still working out. She lives a clean life anyway—a good diet, exercise, healthy skin care, and all that.
The shot also shows Stewart on the beach with horses running behind her, resting with a martini in a huge cabana lined with palms and ferns, and other beachy moments. Despite the fact that there is no food in the picture, Stewart is obviously serving in an image of herself floating in the water.
Stewart remarked that for her, it is a testament to good living, and she believes that all ought to consider good living, successful living, and not aging. The whole thing about aging is so boring.
Padma Lakshmi, a 52-year-old food celebrity who will also be in this year’s SI Swimsuit Issue, shared this mindset.
Her thighs may have been leaner, and her boobs may have been slightly higher in earlier parts of her life, but she has never felt better about herself, Lakshmi said in a marketing video promoting the magazine. She hopes they see a complete woman in all of her facets, nuances, and contradictions. She wouldn’t go back to her twenties for all the money in the world.
In a behind-the-scenes promotional video, Stewart explains that being a bikini cover model was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was unrelated to her typical professional objectives.
Usually, she is encouraged by pay, Stewart says in the video’s first sentence, saying it like it is. Nevertheless, this time she was driven to prove to individuals that a woman her age can still look good, feel good, and be good.
The film includes footage of Stewart at the coastline of the photo shoot site, where she has her clothing and cosmetics done. Photographer Afanador stands waist-deep in water for one image, as a photo assistant pours a pail of water over Stewart’s head.
Getting dressed in 10 different bathing suit outfits can get a little exhausting, Stewart admits, adding that she likes to wear one thing all day, so the shoot was a bit of a departure for her, but it was certainly worth it.
The objective for the 2023 edition, according to SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day, is to continue to elicit compelling and thought-provoking dialogues.
Martha Stewart is a living legend, as Day remarked in a statement, as the definition of a great female entrepreneur who built a dynasty against insurmountable odds. While the industry fluctuates in its arbitrary notion of beauty, their issue has stayed the course, showcasing today’s women and the women shaping the future. They are presenting an extraordinarily broad collection of women this year, beginning with their cover models, who are collectively the most unapologetic women from many walks of life who continue to make their own paths on their own terms.
She wishes other women, especially women, would believe that they, too, could be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She doesn’t think much about age, but she believed this was kind of historic.
Stewart’s entry into a magazine like this seems natural for her, who has become the queen of sexy selfies, posting shots from the hairdresser’s chair, super close-ups of her radiant complexion, and possibly in preparation for her SI debut, her 2020 viral poolside thirst trap.
She likes traveling. Her favorite place to go is somewhere she has never been, Stewart stated at the conclusion of the video. And her motto is, ”When you’re through changing, you’re through.'”
