Thumb-erica the Beautiful

Three cheers for the Red…

…White…

…and Blue.

Hooked on a Feline

Today's animal entry: big cats.

 Come on, Noemie. I'm not sure we can allow a lion sweatshirt.

That tiger is clearly fake. If you can't do better, I'm going to have to ask you to—

Touché.

Josie, Can You See?

The 2016 castings have begun. For a change of pace, SI has shown us a blonde white girl.

This is Josie Canseco. (Yep, José’s daughter.)

Undeniably cute. But she’d be more likely to make it if Gigi Hadid gets banished for some reason.

I’m down to the last couple weeks of this blog, so I won’t be around to see if Josie makes it. But she does have a charmed first name.

One-Piece Wednesday: Josie Maran, 2000

50 Greatest Swimsuit Models, #20-11

The countdown continues. I keep reshuffling these before I post them, and I’m already starting a mental list of women I’ve left off but maybe shouldn’t have.

Any guesses on SI’s official top ten? I have a feeling Ms. Upton will be up top. You gotta keep playing your winning hand.

20: Veronica Varekova

19: Jessica Van Der Steen

18: Ashley Richardson

I have neglected Ashley on this blog. That must end soon. The woman is constructed entirely of curves. (Happy birthday Ashley, by the way.)

17: Valeria Mazza

16: Chandra North

15: Carol Alt

Magnificent. Dark hair, blue eyes, sleek body.

14: Josie Maran

I've sung the praises of her seductiveness. There's something highly erotic about her.

13: Daniela Pestova

12: Kate Upton

Her Antarctica shoot bumped her higher on this list than she would have been before. I can't resist anymore—I’m a fan.

11: Jessica Gomes

Her northern fluctuations have calmed down a little, and she takes her place among my very favorites.

Pinups Within Pinups

I get a giddy little thrill when models display their own SI photos at launch events.

It’s almost its own subgenre of photo. “Here I am in eveningwear, displaying a photo of me in a bikini.” 

This puts me in mind of another subgenre that pops up from time to time. “Pinups Within Pinups.” Sometimes the girls will pose with images of other swimsuit girls in the shot.

Sometimes, it’s the same girl. For example, in this photo (I believe from 2004), we see Elsa Benitez posing in a bikini, showing us a photo of Elsa Benitez in a bikini.

Isabeli Fontana has somehow been given a bikini decorated with self portraits in this shot from 2003.

And in this “intimate” video from 2011, Izabel Goulart snaps a bunch of selfies and festoons her body with the Polaroids.

Sometimes the secondary pinup is worn by the SI model. We’ve previously enjoyed Amber Smith’s 1993 bathing beauty tattoo.

Jarah Mariano wears a swimsuit girl pattern on her top in 2008.

In 2009, Jessica Hart wears a bikini bottom, and a shirt with a bikini bottom design on it.

And sometimes, the pinup is just part of the scenery. Like Jessica White and Ariel Meredith on these boats in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Or Damaris Lewis and Genevieve Morton on these planes in 2010.

In 2002, Chandra North and Josie Maran found themselves in some kind of shack wallpapered with local pinups.

And in this preview tweet for 2011, Julie Henderson models what I’m sure is my favorite beer, without my even having to taste it: Bikini Blonde Lager.

I think part of the joy for me is the tacit endorsement. The models seem to be saying, “Yup, pinups of bikini babes exist. We’re cool with them. After all, we are them.”

And if Julie, Chandra, Ariel, and company approve of photos of bikini girls, who am I to feel guilty about enjoying them?

One-Piece Wednesday: Josie Maran, 2002

Happy 35th birthday, Josie.

She joins Stacey Williams as one of the women I'd love to see get a massive retrospective.

Look, I love Elle Macpherson. You know this about me. She's my single favorite model. But Swim Daily featured the same collection of Elle throwback photos twice in barely a month. Let's reexamine some lesser known ladies!

Countdown: 3 Days to Go

Three-timer Josie Maran brings us down to earth after yesterday's brouhaha.

2000, 2001, 2002

Your 2012 Rookies

Voting for Rookie of the Year ends on March 12. At the moment, it looks like Nina Agdal is in the lead, followed by a tie between Jessica Perez and Michelle Vawer. I can't decide my favorite; it's a very nice crop this year.

In any case, like last year, I thought I'd try to place each rookie in some kind of mathematical/historical context.

Take Roshumba Williams and add Damaris Lewis's eyes, and you end up with Adaora.Early Kathy Ireland plus a touch of Kim Alexis gives you Nina Agdal.Two parts Isabeli Fontana and one part Alyssa Miller gives you Crystal Renn.Alicia Hall fortified with a nice dose of Valeria Mazza gives you Michelle Vawer.Tyra Banks with Josie Maran's face results in Kirby Griffin.Ingrid Seynhaeve with a splash of early Brooklyn Decker gives you Jessica Perez.Jessica's photos might be my overall favorites, but she already won a popular vote last year, so it might be time to give another girl a chance. I will say that Michelle is intoxicating, thanks to smooth and lovely shots like this one: