‘The "It" girl’: Influencer’s bikini snap stuns

A social media megastar has landed a coveted spread in the upcoming Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — a year after making history with the magazine.

A social media megastar has landed a coveted spread in the upcoming Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — a year after making history for the magazine.

Alix Earle shared a behind the scenes look at her upcoming Sports Illustrated issue that is set to be released in May 2025. The influencer, who boasts 4 million followers on Instagram, wore a skimpy $419 knit bikini set from Lybethras for the shoot, saying she had to fly to Jamaica in secret for the magazine appearance.

She was also wearing two body chains from Jacquie Aiche, both retailing at $375 a piece. Earle also wore a chunky, pearl-look necklace in one of the shared images.

Her long blonde hair was styled in a windswept look around her face for the snaps taken by Yu Tsai.

Behind the scenes of Alix Earle's Sports Illustrated shoot. Picture: Instagram/Alix Earle

Friends and fans were quick to rush to the comment section to congratulate Earle on her spot in the magazine.

“OH MY GOD,” one social media user commented.

Another added: “Beautiful gorgeous stunning amazing.”

“Killlllllling it. Idol. The "It" girl,” another declared.

One added: “Smoke show! So funny shooting with you.”

“My new favourite picture of you,” another said.

One simply said: “So freaking hot.”

The Hot Mess podcast host is the first non-athlete to be announced for the highly anticipated 2025 Swimsuit issue — a year after Earle made history as the first ever digital issue cover star.

People praised her. Picture: Instagram/Alix Earle

In those pics, Earle wore a bronze bikini and oversized aviator sunglasses for the shoot.

Earle, 24, is a University of Miami graduate, who became one of TikTok’s rising stars and now boasts a follower count of 7.1 million on the platform. She became popular for sharing “Get Ready With Me” style videos.

However, the moment that shot her into stardom was when she documented the behind-the-scenes of Miley Cyrus’ New Year’s Eve party in 2022, essentially taking her followers along with her.

The following day, she posted a tour of her dorm room at college, which was disorganised. It was this kind of content that made her relatable and she was quickly labelled TikTok’s "It" girl.

Originally published as ‘The "It" girl’: Influencer’s bikini snap stuns