A new milestone in the books! Kim Kardashian has officially earned herself a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover — rightfully rocking Skims swimwear for the photo shoot shot by Greg Swales.
The reality star, 41, is among four cover models, joining Ciara, 74-year-old Maye Musk and plus-size supermodel Yumi Nu in the 2022 issue, set to hit newsstands on May 19.
Even though the KKW Beauty founder is no stranger to magazine covers, she says she finds this one to be particularly notable, in that she hasn’t always seen curvy figures on the cover of SI Swimsuit.
“I vividly remember Tyra Banks on the cover and women with curves. I remember thinking that is so cool,” the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star told the outlet. “But, I still didn’t think I would have—I thought you had to be a professional model and a runway model. It was always really young girls. I don’t want to date myself or sound old, but in my 40s? That’s crazy!”
The brand’s decision to put Kardashian — among other powerful ladies — on the cover was grounded in SI Swimsuits‘ goal of being more inclusive. “The journey we’ve been on — to break out of the mold the world put us in — may sound familiar,” says SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day. “It’s certainly familiar to the women we’ve chosen to be our cover models: Maye, Ciara, Yumi, Kim.”
“Kim, no stranger to the world’s judgment, continues to live proudly, authentically and unapologetically through the noise,” she added.
For her cover story, the mom of four penned a letter to her younger self.
“It’s easy to say to just ignore the criticism, but another thing you’ll learn is that at some point it will click in your head that it’s not about you anymore,” she writes. “It’s about family. It’s about helping other people. For years you’ll be putting yourself out there… But you’re going to become a more private person and you’re going to come to realize that the way to get your story out there—the actual narrative, the truth—isn’t by engaging but by doing.”
“But know this. When you get here, to May 2022, you’re not going to be content,” she continued. “You’re still going to be looking for that next “it” … And when you find it, you’re going to do it — we’re going to do it —like we always do: to the fullest.”
