The Sports Illustrated 2016
Swimsuit edition cover was revealed Saturday night, following the NBA
All-Star Slam Dunk competition on TNT. During the
broadcast, hosts Nick Cannon and Rebecca Romijn called three models who
had been featured in the magazine to the stage: Ashley Graham, Hailey Clauson and former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey. The
three women waited with anticipation for Cannon and Romijn to announce
which of them had been selected to grace the cover, only to find out
that Sports Illustrated decided to feature all three women on three separate covers.
Graham, a 28-year-old plus-size model from Lincoln, Nebraska, was among the three women.
The size-14 model posted a picture of her magazine cover on Instagram, dedicating it to "every woman who felt like she wasn't beautiful enough because of her size." "You can do and achieve anything you put your mind to," she wrote. Graham, who is also an activewear model for Forever21, has her own clothing line and has hosted a TED Talk on body diversity. "We
are going to be the ones that say, you know, it doesn't matter what
size you are. It doesn't matter if you have cellulite," Graham said on "Good Morning America" Saturday. "It doesn't matter if things jiggle where they’re not supposed to. That’s still beautiful." Sports Illustrated's assistant managing editor, MJ Day, said the three cover models represent diversity in beauty. "All three women are beautiful, sexy and strong," Day said. "Hailey is a modern take on the traditional bombshell. Ronda is a cultural phenomenon -- a combination of beauty, brains, brawn and humility. Ashley is a sultry feminine masterpiece. Beauty
is not cookie cutter. Beauty is not one size fits all. Beauty is all
around us and that became especially obvious to me while shooting and
editing this year's issue." Former UFC champ Ronda Rousey
will appear on one of three covers for this year’s "Sports Illustrated”
swimsuit issue, along with plus-size model Ashley Graham and model
Hailey Clauson, the magazine announced late Saturday.
During the one-hour special "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed” on TNT, hosts Rebecca Romjin and Nick Cannon
called the three women up to the stage and revealed the publisher’s
cover decision, which for the first time in its history will include
three different versions.
Rousey appeared in last year’s edition of the annual
swimsuit issue, but this year’s installment marks her first cover shot.
The MMA fighter is pictured wears nothing but body paint. Former UFC champ Ronda Rousey
will appear on one of three covers for this year’s "Sports Illustrated”
swimsuit issue, along with plus-size model Ashley Graham and model
Hailey Clauson, the magazine announced late Saturday.
During the one-hour special "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed” on TNT, hosts Rebecca Romjin and Nick Cannon
called the three women up to the stage and revealed the publisher’s
cover decision, which for the first time in its history will include
three different versions.
Rousey appeared in last year’s edition of the annual
swimsuit issue, but this year’s installment marks her first cover shot.
The MMA fighter is pictured wears nothing but body paint. |