The wait is finally over—the cover models for the 2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue have been revealed. Each person has their own cover photographed in countries spanning from the Dominican Republic to Belize. This mark’s the publication’s 59th installment of the SI Swimsuit Issue, and it’s packed with a diverse lineup of 28 powerful women, including many firsts.
The announcement was made last week on Good Morning America, and the four women gracing this year’s covers bring something special and unique to this year’s issue.
Kim Kardashian: Between being a reality TV star, entrepreneur, law school student and mother of four, she’s one of the most powerful women in the business. Kardashian shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. As part of the swimsuit coverage, the 41-year-old penned a letter to her 18-year-old self as she navigated being a high school senior. A lot has happened to Kardashian since then, to say the least, so she wanted to highlight some of her career achievements in the letter.
“I could obviously give you a road map of your journey from 12th-grade social butterfly to business mogul who’s on the cover of the SI Swimsuit Issue and point out all the pitfalls along the way, but that wouldn’t do you much good,” Kardashian started. She goes on to talk about her first fender bender, and how she still wouldn’t go back and change that from happening, because then she wouldn’t have learned from her mistakes. Like the car accident, she calls the moments that have impacted her life’s trajectory “it[s].” “Throughout your life, ‘it’ is going to change. You’re not always going to know what ‘it’ is or where the inspiration is going to come from, so be prepared,” Kardashian said.
Ciara: Ciara is another in the entertainment industry. The Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter and mother of three is also the founder and CEO of Beauty Marks Entertainment. For Ciara, getting to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022 Issue has been a dream nearly two decades in the making. Now, as the mom of a 5-year-old daughter, Sienna, the opportunity means even more.
“I always think about my daughter, you know?” Ciara shared “I always think that when she gets to see me in moments like this, she can see herself and have something to look forward to or believe in, and to have hope in.” When it comes to the advice Ciara hopes to bestow upon her little girl, the singer explained her guiding motto: “Never give up.”
Maye Musk: Musk, 74, is a 50-year veteran in the modeling profession, who holds two Master’s degress and is a world-renowned dietician. She is also the first woman in her 70’s to model on the cover of the Swimsuit issue. “I’m not a swimsuit model so to be even invited to do the shoot was amazing, and then they showed me the cover and I said, ‘Wow,'” Musk told “Good Morning America.” In an interview with People magazine, Musk (who also happens to be Elon Musk’s mother), said, “If I thought I could be a swimsuit model for Sports Illustrated, people would’ve locked me away as a crazy lady,” she told the magazine. “And now here I am.”
Musk was photographed by Yu Tsai in Belize wearing a bright, two-toned, one-piece swimsuit designed by Maygel Coronel. She hopes her confidence displayed on those glossy pages will inspire women everywhere to walk the beach boldly. “When women go to the beach, we’re kind of shy about our bodies, but men will walk around, looking terrible, and they don’t care,” she continued. “I think we have to not care that much!” Not just when it comes to wearing a bathing suit, but especially when it comes to aging.
Yumi Nu: The Japanese-Dutch recording artist, model and entrepreneur made her SI Swim debut in last year’s issue. She returns with another head-turning photoshoot. Nu is also breaking barriers as the first front-page, plus-size Asian American model to be featured on the cover. “My mom never had that and so many generations never had that,” Nu told “GMA.” “I feel like we’re finally making space for the Asian community in ways that we haven’t before.”
Additional notables featured within the issue include WNBA stars Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart as well as new faces Duckie Thot, Kamie Crawford and Olivia Ponton. “I want people to think about women in general and all the different ways that they can affect positive change and they are true representatives of that,” said SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day when asked how she landed on the women featured within this year’s issue.
The 2022 issue includes many other trailblazing firsts, including showing its first visibly pregnant woman as well as a the publication’s first time showing a woman with a cesarean section scar.
Another first: Ashley Callingbull, the first Indigenous First Nations woman to grace its pages. Callingbull is a Cree First Nations woman from the Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada, who took to her Instagram to write, “Mom, I made history!” The model went on to explain that her feature “is a huge moment for Indigenous women because now the door is open for others to walk through and own this space.” She also reflected on how impossible this type of representation seemed to her as a young girl. “I used to be a little insecure girl from the Rez that didn’t even dare to dream big,” she wrote. “Now I’m a strong, empowered and fearless woman making history.”
The magazine said it wanted women to know that there’s no expiration date on our dreams and models don’t have to check a specific box in order to be beautiful.
The Swimsuit issue is on newsstands and online now.
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