Ten-Hit Wonders

These are, in my humble opinion, the ten best one-hit wonders to grace the swimsuit issue in this blog’s ten-year history.

#10 Georgia Gibbs (2018)

First appearance: February 28, 2018, Models Named in Suit

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#9 Lauren Mellor (2014)

First appearance: December 6, 2013, Copycats

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#8 Kenza Fourati (2011)

First appearance: February 12, 2011, Your 2011 Rookies

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#7 Michelle Vawer (2012)

First appearance: November 16, 2011, One-Piece Wednesday: 2012 Mystery Ladies

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#6 Bregje Heinen (2014)

(This swimsuit alone would have gotten her on this list.)

First appearance: June 4 2013, So It Begins

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#5 Sofia Resing (2016)

First appearance: February 17, 2016, Headless Body in Topless Photo

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#4 Cris Urena (2014)

First appearance: December 6, 2013, Copycats

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#3 Chase Carter (2018)

First appearance: January 28, 2018, Turning Back the Pages

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#2 Kelly Gale (2017)

First appearance: February 7, 2017, Christie’s Back

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#1 Raven Lyn (2018)

First appearance: October 19, 2017, Back to Basics

Interesting trivia: The one-hit wonders of the last decade had a Lyn (Raven, 2018) and a Lynn (Tara, 2019) as well as a Ren (Alexis, 2018) and a Renn (Crystal, 2012).

ROTY Revisited: 2010, 2011

Given her mysterious absence, maybe Alexis Ren should not have gotten 2018 Rookie of the Year.

For that matter, how good have SI’s choices been in the (apparently) nine years they’ve bestowed that title?

2010: Who won?
Chrissy Teigen.

Who should have won?
It’s hard to argue with Chrissy Teigen. She had longevity (8 years) and went on to become a celebrity in her own right. She’s a rare SI model who’s become a household name outside of the SI swimsuit superfan world. She embraced and enhanced the SI brand.

Genevieve Morton might be my runner-up.

She had 6 years of her own, and she seemed to love being swimsuited (and naked).

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2011: Who won?
Kate Upton.

Who should have won?
Kate Upton. Obviously.

For sheer star-power and sex appeal, Kate Upton is a no-brainer. Chrissy has her fingers in a lot of pies (Twitter/cooking/celeb marriage), but Kate’s the last SI model who (I believe) has reached her fame specifically as an SI model.

Runner-up? Well, I have my weak spot for Kenza Fourati.

But Kate Upton is a no-brainer.


So, after the better part of a decade has gone by, we see that the first couple years of ROTY selection were batting a thousand. Will that streak continue?

Happy Birthday, Heidi and Swimsuitologist

Happy 41st, Heidi.

And happy 4th, Swimsuitologist.

Four years. That's a Presidential office term.

That's the time between one Summer Olympics and the following Summer Olympics.

When the first post went up on June 1, 2010: Emily DiDonato, Chanel Iman, and Samantha Hoopes were all 19 years old.

Valerie van der Graaf, Emily Ratajkowski, Cris Urena, and Sara Sampaio were 18.

Kate Upton and Bregje Heinen were 17.

And Gigi Hadid?

Gigi Hadid had just turned 15.

Kenza, But Not Really

I poked around online looking to see what Kenza Fourati was up to these days. I found this collection of photos for Marie Jo lingerie. At first, I thought they were mislabeled—this woman doesn’t resemble Kenza at all.

But I think it’s actually her, perhaps Photoshopped beyond recognition.

My fascination with Kenza is documented in these pages. Her face is not your typical, symmetrical, glamour-puss of a face. That’s precisely what I find so attractive about her. But in these photos, it looks like someone has tried to digitally make her resemble Catherine Zeta-Jones or someone. It’s disappointing.

Anyway, Photoshop is my theory. I suppose makeup, camera angles, even plastic surgery could have contributed. Or maybe it’s not actually Kenza—though you can see a resemblance in the eyes.

In any case, here are some lovely lingerie shots with her Kenza-ness kept intact.

Also, a few years ago, she was part of this ad campaign for BLK DNM. Kenza is Tunisian, and this power pose was in support of the Tunisian Revolution. I’m not sure what jeans have to do with Tunisia, but I’m a fan of the image.

This BLK DNM blog has some Kenza photos as well. (It’s a Tumblr, so the pages are probably in constant flux, but poke around if you’re interested.) She’s sporting a pair of snug, shiny jeans in a lot of the photos, which, man, trips a lot of triggers for me. Kind of heart-stopping.

Thanks for your contributions, Kenza!

50 Greatest Swimsuit Models, #30-21

I've gone back over the last two entries and added explanations, defenses, and flailing justifications.

30: Kim Cloutier

Oh, how I wish she had a few more years with SI.

29: Jessica White

A lot has been made of Anne V, but Jessica quietly put together 8 appearances (with a break in 2006). It would have been nice to see her follow Tyra and become only the second (non-Beyonce) black woman to appear on the cover.

28: Lujan Fernandez

27: Kenza Fourati

I feel like I may be the president, secretary, and treasurer of the Kenza Fourati Fan Club. Not sure she made much of an impression on anyone else, but I'm still obsessed with her, two years later.

26: Jarah Mariano

25: Fernanda Motta

24: Stephanie Seymour

23: Noemie Lenoir

22: Angie Everhart

Cintia Dicker has a lot of buzz among swimsuit fans, but Angie's the SI redhead I would choose if I could only have one.

21: Marisa Miller

I had a bit of a conversion a couple years ago and became a fan. I think she might have reignited the idea of a household-name SI girl.