Sports Illustrated, the nearly seventy-year-old publication, broke through the news cycle this week. SI announced 81-year-old Martha Stewart would be one of the four cover models in this year’s Swimsuit Issue. With her appearance, Stewart replaces Maye Musk (mother of Elon), who last year, at age 74, had become the oldest SI swimsuit model.
Besides Stewart, Sports Illustrated will have on alternate covers actress Megan Fox, model Brooks Nader and pop singer Kim Petras. Petras, is the second transgender swimsuit model, following Leyna Bloom, who appeared on the cover in 2021. Among the 28 models pictured in the pages, include health and wellness leader Melissa Wodd-Tepperberg, YouTube sensation Ellie Thumann, LSU stars Angel Reese (basketball) and Olivia Dunne (gymnastics) as well as 52-year-old culinary personality Padma Lakshmi.
This year’s selection is another example of the swimsuit edition becoming more inclusive, selecting models regardless of their age, ethnicity, shape or sexual orientation. Moreover, starting last year, SI announced, for the print and digital issues, they would be accepting only advertisers/brands that help drive gender equality.
The first SI swimsuit edition was published in January 1964, the cover model was Babette March. The swimsuit edition became an annual fixture published every February (after the Super Bowl), when the sports news cycle had slowed down. In 1997, the issue began being sold as a standalone, instead as part of SI’s weekly subscription. In 2019 the publication date was moved to May.
The magazine was noted for photographing a number of world-famous fashion models, with many appearing on the coveted cover. The list includes Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, Elle Macpherson, Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum. While not on the cover, other famous models including Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Niki Taylor, have been photographed inside the magazine. The 25th anniversary issue in 1987, with Kathy Ireland on the cover, has been the best -selling issue.
In 1997, SI began including athletes in the issue. Since then, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Lindsey Vonn, Alex Morgan and dozens of other athletes have been photographed. In 2016 UFC fighter Ronda Rousey became the first athlete to appear on the cover of swimsuit edition.
Below are some other notable firsts:
· In 2007, Beyoncé became the first celebrity on the cover.
· In 2019, Muslim model Halima Aden wore a hijab and burkini
· In 2022, Katrina Scott was a visibly pregnant swimsuit model.
As the swimsuit issue grew in popularity, the announcement of the cover model became an event. This year, Martha Stewart appeared on The Today Show, when she surprised viewers by announcing, she would be on the cover of this year’s SI swimsuit issue. At the announcement, Stewart noted before the January photo shoot in the Dominican Republic, she had changed her diet by foregoing bread and pasta, while going to more Pilates classes.
Martha Stewart has been a household name for forty years. At first, she was noted for her dozens of best-selling cookbooks. In 1990 she launched Martha Stewart Living, a magazine published by Time, Inc. In 1993 Martha Stewart Living also became a weekly half-hour nationally syndicated television program. Stewart became renowned for homemaking, entertaining, cooking and her branded houseware products.
With her successful magazine and television program, Martha Stewart launched her own media company, Omnimedia. It was reported Omnimedia reached 100 million people monthly. In 2005, Stewart was found guilty for lying about a stock sale, she was imprisoned for five months.
In an Instagram post (which included a photograph) Stewart said, “I am so thrilled to be on the cover.” Stewart added, “My motto has always been: ‘when you’re through changing, you’re through,’ so I thought, why not be up for this opportunity of a lifetime? I hope this cover inspires you to challenge yourself to try new things, no matter what stage of life you are in.” Stewart has over four million Instagram followers.
As an octogenarian and grandmother, Stewart remains active and remains an icon for female empowerment. Her website marthastewart.com had 8.4 million visits last month. She appears on three programs on Roku; Martha Gardens, Martha Cooks and Martha Holidays. She hosts “The Martha Stewart Podcast”, where she interviews guests. She has developed a friendship and ongoing partnership with Snoop Dog. Last year, Stewart entered the restaurant business with The Bedford by Martha Stewart, in Paris Las Vegas.
Sports Illustrated was created by Henry Luce, the founder of Time-Life in 1954. The weekly publication was known for their award-winning journalism and sports photography. In recent years, SI has had a series of new ownership. In 2018 Sports Illustrated became part of Meredith when they acquired Time Inc. With subscription rates declining SI became a biweekly publication.
The following year SI’s “intellectual properties” was sold to Authentic Brands Group for a reported $100 million. Meredith continued to publish the magazine. Also, in 2019, TheMaven, a digital company, acquired the publishing rights. In 2020 Sports Illustrated became a monthly magazine while continuing to publish special issues such as the best-selling Swimsuit issue, which reaches over 70 million people.
Despite their declining subscription rates Sports Illustrated has become a multimedia brand. For example, its digital media platforms have 80+ million visitors. They load over 3,000 sports videos every quarter. In addition, SI has several podcasts including “MMQB”, “SI Media with Jimmy Traina”, “SI Weekly” and “The Crossover NBA Show”. Across all SI platforms, 70% of the audience is male.
The price for each publication is $15.99 plus $4.99 for postage and handling. The purchase of all four covers comes with a 21% discount. The issue goes on sale Thursday May 18.
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