Martha Stewart claimed the cover spot for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. At 81 years old, she made history as the oldest ever cover model in the publication. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit selected her because they thought of the lifestyle guru as the OG influencer.
Stewart rose to fame because of her cookbooks in 1980, but it was her Martha Stewart Living magazine launched in the 90s that really drove home her influence over home decor and lifestyle trends. This would launch her richly successful career as a lifestyle businesswoman. But before all of that, Stewart's modeling career began at 15 years old. She also modeled for Chanel and Unilever She's no stranger to the modeling stage.
“When I heard that I was going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s pretty good, I’m going to be the oldest person I think ever on a cover of Sports Illustrated,’” Stewart said. “And I don’t think about age very much, but I thought that this is kind of historic.”
“This time I was motivated by showing people my age can still look good, feel good, be good,” Stewart said. “I want other women to feel that they could also be on the cover.”
The cover photo features Stewart in a white one piece swimsuit with an orange beach cover thrown around her shoulders. Her hair is blown out and her makeup is impeccable. But this wasn't the only time she dressed up in a swimsuit for the media. Back in 2020, Stewart posted some social media selfies which gained significant traction because of her openness about how she actually looks. It was a pool selfie in particular that received the most praise.