Bock for More

Okay, so I’m popping out of retirement to point out something I find amazing about the 2016 swimsuit issue.

Kate Bock appears in this bikini:

 

…which is the same suit that I pointed out had been worn by both Julie Henderson and Esti Ginzburg back in 2010, six years ago:

 

That means we have a “Same Suit, Different Babe” scenario that spans three models and more than half a decade.

I don’t know if someone just lost track of the suits or what. I would have thought they’d try to focus on fairly new designs, but somehow this bikini stuck around.

So while I’m here, I thought I’d give a “State of the Swimsuit Issue” address: The state of the swimsuit issue is strong. I thought 2014 was a step forward, but 2015 slid backwards a little bit. But 2016 seems to have minimal Photoshopping, plus tons of giant, crisp, super-saturated photos. I love this issue.

• • •

Since we’re on the subject of Kate Bock: Wow. 2013 Rookie of the Year Kate Bock. Porcelain-and-spun-sugar Kate Bock. Pretty, blue-eyed, blonde, straightforward Kate Bock. This year, she found some sultriness that I don’t normally associate with her.

This suit is a little weird, but great:

Unfortunately, it only appears in her online videos.

There’s not a single picture of her wearing it in her 39 online photos, which is a crime.

And—AND—she adds her name to the list of girls who’ve gone bottomless.

So does Chanel Iman:

And, I think, maybe, covergirl Hailey Clauson:

And Rose Bertram is definitely nude below sea level in this video:

• • •

Another thing to address is Ashley Graham. You don’t need a reminder, but she’s the plus-size rookie who got one of the three covers. She goes beyond last year’s rookie Robyn Lawley: Ashley is a full-on curvapalooza.

And this being the internet, plenty of people have raised a fuss about it. Some of them got real cruel and awful in their online comments. They are all assholes.

Ashley may not be your cup of tea. Heck, she may not be mine. But even my least favorite SI model far outranks my most favorite internet asshole, so I’ll say this: Ashley Graham is beautiful. And she’s taking a lot of abuse for her appearance, during this event in her life that should be joyful for her—I’m sure she sees the lousy things that idiots are saying about her. But she’s a pioneer, and I support her 100%.

And frankly, if you can’t see the sex appeal in photos like this:

…then your balls have not yet dropped.

More thoughts later.