Megan Thee Stallion, Naomi Osaka, Leyna Bloom make history with S.I. Swimsuit covers
Megan is the first rapper, Osaka is the first Black female athlete, and Bloom is the first trans woman to grace the cover
Sports Illustrated may have just dropped their biggest issues yet. Megan Thee Stallion, Naomi Osaka, and Leyna Bloom made history with the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers.
All three of ladies are breaking records with the the covers, which were revealed on Monday. Per reports, Megan breaks the mold as the first rapper on the swimsuit cover, Osaka is the first Black female athlete to do it and Bloom truly makes history as the first trans woman to grace the cover.
All three women on the cover of Sports Illustrated‘s esteemed Swimsuit issue are bosses in their own right.
Fresh off her Grammys wins, Megan Thee Stallion is truly one of the busiest rappers in the game right now. Osaka has been in the spotlight after taking a stand for mental health before she prepares to compete in the Tokyo Olympics and Bloom is also enjoying new heights in her modeling and acting career.
Along with the cover announcement, Megan opened up to PEOPLE Magazine about what it means to be the first rapper to cover the famed Swimsuit issue.
She shared in a statement to the magazine, “When I got the call that they wanted me on the cover, I was like, ‘Wha—? Me?’ And to be the first female rapper on the swim cover makes it extra special. It feels amazing!”
She continued to detail how growing up seeing Tyra Banks on the cover of the magazine served as inspiration.
She shared, “My earliest memory of a SI Swimsuit cover was Tyra. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this girl looks like me!’ Here is this stunning Black woman owning her curves and it made a big impact. It made me think, maybe I can be on the cover of SI Swim one day. And guess what — I am!”
As for Bloom, she opened up to Page Six about the historic announcement, telling the outlet that covering the magazine is “surreal.”
She shared in a statement, “This cover and this moment represent what it looks like in the future.” Bloom, who grew up reading Sports Illustrated on her father’s coffee table, went on to share, “When they told me I got the cover, I spoke to my dad. 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.’”
As for Osaka, MJ Day, Editor in Chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, is all about celebrating the tennis star.
Day shared in a statement, “We celebrate Naomi for her passion, strength and power geared toward consistently breaking barriers when it comes to equality, social justice and mental health.” This is one of numerous covers Osaka has graced in the past few weeks, including her Vogue Hong Kong cover from last week.
Day also released an official statement on all of the women for the covers, saying, “If there’s one thing that our cover models have in common, it’s that they don’t have one thing in common. They look different, have different upbringings, have different passions and inspirations. But each is a reminder that beauty comes in many forms.”
Check out all of the covers, here.
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