Thumb-Hook Thurfboard Thursday: Michelle Behennah, 2000

The more beaches you shoot on, the greater the chance of your model interacting with a surfboard.

It’s an outdoor summer activity you can do while social distancing, so let’s celebrate it.

Perfect Tens

These are my ten favorite SI models who’ve been introduced to us during this blog’s existence (not counting the one-hit wonders, who got their own list).

#10 Haley Kalil (model search 2018, rookie 2019)

(Yep, she’s new, but I have good feelings about her.)

First appearance: March 24, 2018, A Real Camille & Kalil Reveal

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#9 Myla Dalbesio (2017)

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

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#8 Hannah Ferguson (2014)

First appearance: February 5, 2014, Latest Rookie Reveal: Hannah Ferguson

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#7 Emily DiDonato (2013)

First appearance: February 5, 2013, Countdown: 7 Days to Go

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#6 Bo Krsmanovic (2016)

First appearance: February 14, 2017, Northern Exposure

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#5 Rose Bertram (2015)

First appearance: February 2, 2015, Rookie reveal #3: Rose Bertram

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#4 Hailey Clauson (2015)
First appearance: May 5, 2014, A Bit of a Shayk-Up

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#3 Barbara Palvin (2016)

First appearance: November 18, 2012, Missing the Complexities (several years before she was an SI girl!)

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#2 Lais Ribeiro (2017)

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

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#1 Sara Sampaio (2014)

First appearance: February 4, 2014, Whaddaya Want, a Rookie?

The ranking is subject to change, depending on whichever recent photos I've seen. (UPDATE: In fact, I just moved Barbara Palvin up to #3. I previously had her at #5 for some reason.) I had to make some tough cuts. Vita Sidorkina and Kelsey Merritt were the last to be dismissed. Sorry, girls, I love you all!

Swimulacra

Okay, so the #SwimsuitIconChallenge is super charming.

The recreations are fun and inventive and often pretty hot.

I’m particularly entranced by this bevy of Elles.

The makeshift solutions are pretty creative, too, using aloe leaves for Petra …

… blowdryers for Christie …

… Sony Walkmans for Marisa …

… and fast food signage for Carol.

Carol herself even got into the act, recreating a fellow cover girl shot.

I think there must have been a starter group of pics that participants could choose from, because there are no fewer than three recreations of this Chandra North pic (complete with heels).

I’m quite familiar with this photo, obviously, but it doesn’t seem like one of the iconic SI shots that would be first on anyone’s mind.

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Anyway, one of the pics that was recreated was this one:

…along with a nice story of the woman who created it.

So in celebration of Alli and Jessica, let’s have a pineapple-themed Fruit Friday.

Underboob Monday: Lais Ribeiro, 2018

ROTY Revisited: 2016, 2017

2016: Who won?
Barbara Palvin.

Who should have won?
Barbara Palvin. I can’t argue with her at all. But if pressed for a runner-up, I’d pick Bo Krsmanovic, who does similar things to my heart and mind.

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2017: Who won?
Bianca Balti.

Who should have won?
Lais Ribiero. This is one of the few where I have an ironclad correction for SI: Lais is one of the most gorgeous women to appear in SI this century.

Kelly Gale would have also been a magnificent choice, and I’m still bummed she was a one-and-done.

But yeah. Lais. All the way.

• • •

This was actually illuminating for me. I expected to have more instances of strong disagreement with SI's choices, but they were by and large pretty solid.

I also had this idea that ROTYs don't last for very many issues, but that's not necessarily true either. By my calculations, the average ROTY stint is about 4.2 years, whereas the entire rookie class during that nine-year period sticks around for about 2.3 years.

So, who's the Rookie of the Year for 2019? No idea!