ELLE MacPHERSON AND KATE UPTON AMONG SI MOST FAMOUS STARS ON THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACHES.

The renowned Sports Illustrated magazine faced challenges in achieving success following its inception in August 1954.  It was only about ten years later that it became profitable for its owners, thanks to a few innovations.

One of them had a significant influence in 1964 when the magazine's editor, André Laguerre, released a special edition featuring photographs of models in bikinis.

Originally published annually in February, and subsequently in May starting from 2019, this special issue has grown in significance and has become the renowned "Swimsuit Issue." It consistently achieves the highest sales and garners the most attention, whether through positive or negative comments.

It is important to note that during the mid-1960s, the wearing of bikinis was only starting to gain social acceptance. Prior to this period, particularly in Puritan-influenced America, such attire was deemed scandalous and immoral, even two decades after its invention in France in 1946 (refer to my blog «BIKINI AND POM POM GIRLS» Regarding this topic⇾ https://bikiniandpompomgirls.blogspot.com/2025/03/history-of-bikini-difficult-times-in.html).

Moreover, it is frequently asserted that the widespread popularity of Sports Illustrated's "Swimsuit Issue" significantly contributed to the acceptance of the bikini in the United States.  Subsequently, Sports Illustrated will also launch and market its own line of swimwear.

Initially, people—particularly feminists—struggled to comprehend why SI officials were sharing these photos of bikini models. They argued that such "provocative and sexist" images were inappropriate for a sports magazine or any other publication, for that matter.

The renowned fashion journalist Julie Campbell, known for her role in the contentious "Swimsuit Issue," viewed it merely as a showcase for "taller and healthier California women." Admittedly, the connection to the themes of Sports Illustrated seems rather tenuous.

Highly profitable for Sports Illustrated, generating tens of millions of dollars in advertising and sales, the special swimsuit issue no longer provokes, as it did in its early days, a substantial number of unsubscribes and negative reviews.  It has transitioned into video format and is now accessible in a digital version.

Its annual launch has become a global advertising event, and despite feminist criticism, it does not appear to be disappearing anytime soon.

The Special Edition Swimwear has celebrated its most favored figures over the past six decades. Elle MacPherson (above) holds the record with five appearances in its pages, spanning the years 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, and 2006.

She is closely followed by Kate Upton, who has appeared in four editions (2012, 2013, 2017, and 2024).

 Five other top models claim three appearances in the pages of the famous sports magazine :

Daniela Pestova

- Christie Brinkley (1979, 1980 and 1981);

- Cheryl Tiegs (1970, 1975 and 1983);

- Kathy Ireland (1989, 1992 and 1994);

- Daniela Pestova (1995, 2000 and 2006);

- Tyra Banks (1996, 1997 and 2019).