Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has unveiled not one but seven special covers to celebrate its 60th anniversary. This year’s individual covers spotlight Gayle King, Kate Upton, Hunter McGrady and Chrissy Teigen. As for the other four? Well, the magazine has also unveiled three legends covers, starring a whopping 52 influential women who’ve graced the cover in years past, including Tyra Banks, Christie Brinkley, Paulina Porizkova, and many more.
“We assembled some of our most influential alumni together for one legendary photo shoot,” said editor-in-chief MJ Day. “Sure, it looks back on history. But more significantly, it’s a window into the present—where we are right now—and a hope for the future,” Day says. “The result was nothing short of spectacular. So spectacular that we created three covers, a triptych that speaks to the collective strength, power, beauty and diversity that is what SI Swimsuit looks like at 60.”
Here’s what this year’s cover stars, including first-timer King, have to say about this year’s highly anticipated covers—and the experience as a whole.
Gayle King
“I never in a million years thought I would be standing here in a bathing suit for Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit], but here I am, which says to me that sometimes people can dream, God can dream, the universe can dream a bigger dream than you can ever think for yourself,” King told the magazine. “I would have never thought this was possible. This was nowhere on my bucket list. So I’m thinking maybe it was a dream that I didn’t even know I wanted because now that I’m here, I want it bad.”
Christie Brinkley
“I am grateful beyond measure for my many happy adventures with @si_swimsuit,” the three-time SI Swim cover model wrote on Instagram. “If someone came up to young permed sunburned me during my first photo shoot with the iconic magazine and whispered ‘they will still be inviting you to be in the picture at 70’, I would have laughed at them and called them crazy. But now I know that no one wants to become invisible because of our age, (or ethnicity, size, gender, or anything for that matter!) So thank you S.I. … you may just be 60, but you’re very smart for your age!”
Hunter McGrady
“I’m just proud. I’m proud to be a part of [SI Swimsuit],” McGrady told the outlet. “I’m proud of the company as a whole, I’m proud of the imprint that they’ve made on society and they continue to make, and that would genuinely be my all-encompassing word: proud.”
Tyra Banks
“28 years ago, I made history by being the 1st Black model to grace the cover of @si_swimsuit,” Banks captioned an Instagram video recorded on set of the photo shoot. “And today, I am honored to be called a LEGEND and ICON on this year’s 60th Anniversary cover.”
Kate Upton
“After my first cover with [SI Swimsuit] in 2012, it really started this conversation about body positivity and inclusivity,” Upton told SI Swimsuit. “When I look back at my first cover, I see how young I was and I also can’t help but be taken back to that massive moment [when] that cover launched and that conversation of my body and what my body was.”
