Leyna Bloom makes Sports Illustrated history
This years Sports Illustrated looks very different as its pages are filled with an array of “exceptional women” – including a first cover star.
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Leyna Bloom has made Sports Illustrated Swimsuit history after becoming the first ever trans woman to appear in the issue and on the cover of the popular magazine.
It comes just weeks after she was named as the first black and Asian trans woman to appear in the sports title.
The seeds for the history-making moment were planted back in 1997, when she first flipped through the Tyra Banks-fronted edition of the bikini bible on her father’s coffee table, the NY Post reports.
“When they told me I got the cover, I spoke to my dad,” Leyna told Page Six.
“I was like, ‘When I was looking at that magazine … I was looking into my future. You were giving me the tools I needed to see myself, to know that I could be there, that I could inspire, that one day I could be a part of this.’”
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At 17, Leyna followed her dreams to New York City, hearing “no” many times before being discovered in a store in Soho.
That chance encounter jump-started her career, which so far has included an appearance in Vogue India, campaigns for H&M and Levi’s and a runway gig alongside Zendaya for Tommy Hilfiger.
Since 1964, the magazine has been putting out photos of beautiful models in risque bikinis, the NY Post reports.
The 2021 issue showcases Sports Illustrated’s most diverse group of women to date, which includes a slew of plus-size catwalkers and a 57-year-old.
This year’s three cover stars which include Leyna, also feature tennis great Naomi Osaka and Megan Thee Stallion (the first rapper to appear on the cover).
While past issues have featured bikini babes posing in exotic locales from Switzerland to China – Kate Upton even once posed among penguins in Antarctica – the 2020 pandemic curtailed international travel.
This year’s sexy shoots took place stateside at Hard Rock Hotel locations in California, Florida and Atlantic City.
“It was not easy and we approached the situation very seriously,” Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s longtime editor MJ Day told The Post of producing the issue during the pandemic, adding that photography teams quarantined and followed CDC guidelines. “We took every necessary precaution to keep everyone safe.”
In total, 25 models and 13 finalists from the brand’s nationwide amateur model search will get their glossy glory as a part of what Day deems a “powerful group of extraordinary, multidimensional women”.
“For years we’ve been working tirelessly to move the needle and change the conversation around beauty and acceptance,” she said. “The incredible women featured in the issue represent some of the most powerful voices of today.”
Here’s a selection of this year’s featured models making a splash before the issue drops on July 22.
Camille Kostek
Modelling is just one of four-timer Camille Kostek’s many pursuits. The 29-year old, originally from Connecticut, hosts a game show called Wipeout and has had several film roles. Kostek, who’s been dating Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight-end Rob Gronkowski since 2015, is a former cheerleader for the New England Patriots.
Kostek recently teamed up with Swimsuits For All to create her own collection of stylish suits which run up to size 2XL.
Yumi Nu
Yumi Nu, 24, is making her mark as the publication’s first ever plus-size Asian model. The Japanese and Dutch California girl is DJ Steve Aoki’s niece and has released music of her own through her uncle’s label Dim Mak Records.
Nu is coming out with a plus-sized clothing line “Blueki” later this year that focuses on sustainability.
MJ Day lauded her natural beauty: “She doesn’t hold herself to any traditional beauty standards and is gracefully unapologetic for seeing herself as a powerful, beautiful, sensual woman.”
Christen Harper
Newcomer Christen Harper, 28, was selected from the 2021 Swimsuit’s model search, something she told the publication “would mean the world” to her.
Harper, who’s been dating Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff since 2019, had a leading role in the 2019 sci-fi film Auggie.
The budding actress and model revealed in an Instagram post that earning a spot in the magazine was a longtime dream of hers, but she struggled to make the cut.
“SI is the reason I became a model and for years I tried to get a casting with them but never quite made it,” she wrote. “Instead of just accepting that and moving on I decided to take things into my own hands and chase this dream myself.
Emily DiDonato
Emily DiDonato, 30, is back for her sixth swimsuit issue. The 19-weeks pregnant model hails from New York State and doubles as a YouTuber with almost half a million subscribers.
On her channel, you can find makeup tutorials, skincare advice and learn how the model maintains her photo-ready figure.
She was the face of Maybelline New York in 2009 and has modelled for Victoria’s Secret.
She also co-runs the skincare brand Covey, a three-step product line that caters to every skin type.
Maggie Rawlins
This will be Rawlins’ first time modelling for Sports Illustrated, something that came as a shock when she learned she’d been booked.
“I had no idea I was even on SI’s radar,” she told The Post earlier this year.
This rookie, 28, moonlights as a registered nurse and volunteers with OneWorld Health, an organisation that works to provide healthcare to impoverished countries.
She put her modelling pursuits aside for three weeks at the height of the pandemic to work at a NYC medical centre, a career she pursued before modelling.
She’s originally from South Carolina, where she was scouted to model for Love Magazine and Elle Croatia.
Rawlins said she “did a lot of at-home pilates” to get in shape for the swimsuit shoot in January.
“Not only is she an incredibly beautiful model, she is also living proof that it’s never too late to give back to your community,” Day said.
Natalie Mariduena
Natalie Mariduena, 24, from Vernon Hills, Illinois, runs branding for Dispo, a photo-sharing app created by YouTube vlogger David Dobrik, who she previously worked for as an assistant. This modelling newcomer is also internet famous herself, with more than three million Instagram followers.
“Being at the forefront of industry change, Natalie beautifully blurs the line in a world that too often tells women that they have to pick a lane and stay in it,” Day said.
Danielle Herrington
Herrington, 28, rocked the swimsuit issue in 2018 as the third black woman to ever appear on the cover.
She’s excited to return for her fifth year, this time flaunting cornrow braids, a style that models rarely get to wear. Herrington hasn’t been able to wear the hairstyle since she was 13.
“For this year’s shoot she expressed to us her desire to wear her hair in braids,” Day said. “We immediately said yes and she showed up on set as the most confident, vibrant and happiest version of herself.
“The industry often dictates how women can present themselves and we wanted to give Danielle a space to choose how she would be represented.”
The California native also has a baby boy on the way.
“I actually found out four days after my SI shoot,” Herrington said. “I was five weeks pregnant at the shoot and had no idea. Having kids is something I’ve always wanted, but it was definitely a surprise.
Jasmine Sanders
A 2020 cover star and 2019 Rookie of the Year, the German-American Sanders, 30, is on a roll.
With two covers under her belt, she’s thrilled about the diversity she and other models have been able to bring to the magazine in recent years.
“It’s very exciting and I’m very proud to be among a handful of black and mixed-race women on the cover, but it also highlights how much work we have to do,” she said last year.
Tanaye White
White, 29, is another newbie who boasts an established career before diving into the modelling world full-time.
The former senior communications analyst, who has worked in the defence and aerospace industry, abruptly quit her job after securing a spot in the 2020 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model search.
Originally from Southington, Connecticut, the Georgetown grad is on a journey to loving her naturally curly hair after constant heat damage.
Now, she’s embracing her hair’s natural kinkiness. “I was like, ‘OK, let me just go full throttle,’” she told Glamour. “And it has definitely been a journey of self-love in and of itself.”
Josephine Skriver
After stunning in last year’s swimsuit issue, this Danish model is back after being voted 2020’s Rookie of the Year.
Skriver, 28, has extensive modelling experience, walking for Calvin Klein at New York Fashion Week and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
She’s appeared in editorial spreads for several fashion magazines, including Vogue, W Magazine, and Interview. Raised by a gay father and a lesbian mother, this former VS Angel is an avid supporter of the LGBTQ movement.
Alongside fellow model Jasmine Tookes, she shares health tips and routines with her community of fitness-crazed followers on the duo’s Instagram page, “Joja.”
She’s been dating lead singer of The Cab, Alexander DeLeon, since 2013.
Kate Bock
It’s not swimsuit season without Kate Bock, 33. One of 2020’s three cover stars, she’s appearing in the pages of SI’s swimsuit issue for the ninth year in a row.
“I think 10 years is the record,” she told The Post. “I am going after the title.”
The Canadian model, recently engaged to Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player Kevin Love, also serves as chief brand officer for Pompette, a gluten-free hard seltzer.
In an interview with People, Bock revealed that she doesn’t put a lot of preparation into photo shoots – just a quick workout, eating well and drinking as much water as she can.
“I feel beyond lucky that Sports Illustrated was able to figure out a way to allow us to shoot safely during such a tough time,” she said. “It was such a treat to feel like myself again, being back on a shoot, on set and on location. We took every precaution and the shoot was great. Now I can’t wait for it to come out.”
Kathy Jacobs
Kathy Jacobs is blowing rigid modelling standards out of the water. Standing at 157cm, the 57-year-old is both the shortest and oldest rookie to date.
Jacobs began modelling in the 1980s and has since appeared in multiple advertising campaigns, including Thirdlove and Soji Beauty. She also was featured in Miley Cyrus’ 2019 music video “Mother’s Daughter”. According to Jacobs, “The only thing getting old is ageism.”
Katrina Scott
Rookie and entrepreneur Katrina Scott, 37, has created her own fitness empire. She’s a co-founder of the health and lifestyle community Tone It Up, geared towards busy women and mothers.
With her Tone It Up business partner, in 2018 she authored the New York Times best-selling self-improvement guide, Tone It Up: Balanced and Beautiful: 5-Day Reset for Your Body, Mind, and Spirit.
This girl boss also hosts the podcast Live Beautifully with Katrina Scott, where she interviews other successful businesswomen.
Lais Ribeiro
This Brazilian-born model is a former Victoria’s Secret Angel and eight-time VS Angel Fashion Show model.
Ribeiro, 30, has been working the runway since 2009, when she walked for high-end designers like Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg and Zac Posen.
By 2011, she was the industry’s most desired model.
Ribeiro is a mum to a 13-year-old son with autism. In 2018, she got a tattoo of a puzzle piece-patterned ribbon to represent the disorder in his honour. She’s also engaged to NBA player Joakim Noah.
“She uses her platform to spread awareness around autism and what it’s like to be a mother of an autistic son,” Day said. “If there is one thing we can do as a brand, it’s to empower individuals to speak up for what they are passionate about and Lais uses her reach and influence to do just that.”
This year marks her fourth appearance in the swimsuit issue. You can also spot her cameo in a Season 3 episode of New Girl.
Nyma Tang
Self-taught beauty vlogger Nyma Tang, 30, is one of this year’s eight rookies.
The YouTube star, born in Ethiopia, has worked with several makeup lines, including Bobbi Brown and Fenty Beauty.
In 2018, she even created her own limited-edition shade of red matt lipstick for MAC Cosmetics. Right now, she has a lip set collection with cruelty-free cosmetic line Dose of Colours. She uses her platform to promote the importance of inclusive makeup shades and share makeup tips for women of colour.
This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission
Originally published as Leyna Bloom makes Sports Illustrated history
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