The upcoming Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue will feature the magazine’s first ever plus-size models.
Robin Lawley will appear in a bikini from her own swimwear line, while Ashley Graham will appear in the magazine as part of an ad for Swimsuits For All.
“I don’t know if I consider myself as a plus-size model or not,” Lawley told Time magazine. “I just consider myself a model because I’m trying to help women in general accept their bodies.”
The Australian model is 6’2″ and wears a size 12. The average American woman wears a size 14.
“We are entering the curvy girl era and when all eyes are on the bikini babes of Sports Illustrated, it would be a great time to have the conversation about the rise of the curvy girl,” a spokeswoman for the magazine said in an email to WPIX.
“I know my curves are sexy and I want everyone else to know that theirs are too. There is no reason to hide and every reason to flaunt,” Graham said in a press release. “The world is ready for more curves in bikinis. Swimsuits For All” helps women feel confident and sexy in swimsuits and I am so thrilled to be a part of the #CurvesinBikinis campaign!”
Swimsuits For All has been around since 2005 and has “elevated the conversation around what it means to be confident and feel sexy in a swimsuit.”
The magazine is on newsstands on February 9.