Blanket Statements

I’ve agonized in the past about whether the swimsuit issue has gotten too overtly sexual.

Mainly, the thoughts have centered around nudity and body parts. But I just realized something more subtle: bikini models in bed.

It’s a whole subgenre. Rebecca Romijn might have been the first specimen, back in 1999.

Fast forward to 2006, and we have Molly, Yesica, and Noemie lounging around in their hotel beds giving you their best “come hithers.”

The girls find themselves in deserts and museums, Russian palaces and college football fields, all sorts of places where swimsuits don’t really have a practical purpose.

But beds … I mean, this is about sex, right? You’re being invited to imagine that you and the model are vacationing together and getting ready to head out to the pool or the beach but suddenly have a mood sweep over you so maybe the pool can wait.

These are hotel rooms, so they could conceivably be anywhere in the world. Quick: Which exotic locales are Jessica, Melissa, and Esti in?

Hint: It doesn’t matter. They might as well be in a nice Best Western in Des Moines.

I’m not complaining. In fact, it’s kind of awesome.

Sweet dreams.

One-Piece Wednesday: The 2010 Rookies

Sonia Dara
Zoe Duchesne
Genevieve Morton
Julie Ordon
Dominique Piek
Chrissy Teigen

One-Hit Wonder: Sonia Dara, 2010

2010 Rookie Week continues with one of the rookies who didn’t return: the beautiful Sonia Dara.I would have liked to have seen Sonia again. Look at that slender, taffy-like body.

And I believe she is the only Indian-American model ever to appear in the swimsuit issue. I do wonder if it’s a celebration of her culture or an exercise in stereotyping—or both—that she shot in India.That dilemma doesn’t come into play when Daniella shoots in Brazil, or Bar shoots in Israel, or Elle shoots in Australia, or Tori shoots in Hawaii.

But Sonia is the least Caucasian model on that list, and she found herself surrounded by women in headscarves. It seems like it might easily drift into the realm of “othering.” (More on that sometime in the near future… I’m reading a book that I plan to start discussing here soon.)It’s a dilemma she herself seems to recognize, according to this interview in the Wall Street Journal:

During your shoot in Rajasthan, you posed with some local women who cover their heads, as is local tradition. Did you feel it made them uncomfortable to pose with you in a bikini?

To be completely honest, I was the one who felt the most uneasy because I thought I was putting the women in a potentially uncomfortable situation. At first glance, the concept of a Hindu girl in Sports Illustrated might seem contradictory. With that in mind, I posed as elegantly as possible, in order to never undermine my Hindu upbringing. I really hope this is made clear in my photos.

(Also of note in that interview: She was in pre-med at Harvard, and switched to econ? I love seeing proof that models aren’t ditzes.)

In any case, maybe she’s not gone forever. I’d like to see her again, maybe in some run-of-the-mill Caribbean beach shots, to prove that she wasn’t just there to add some local exoticness.

That’s the Way the Rookie Crumbles

Out of six swimsuit issue rookies in 2010, only two stuck around for 2011. Genevieve Morton and Chrissy Teigen returned this year, albeit a bit more glammed up in each case.

Genevieve Morton Good for her! She’s a South African kewpie doll whose best pics last year were in this shiny silver bikini:…even though she cause a bit of controversy by standing near a couple swastikas in one of the shots:SI ran a series of short videos in which the models declared what they felt were their best body parts. The answers ranged from freckles (Anne V) to feet (Hilary Rhoda) to collarbones (Sonia Dara) to eyes (Cintia Dicker, Jessica White, Jessica Gomes, Esti Ginzburg).

Genevieve? “I like my boobs the best.”
Very well. I’ll allow it.
Her pics this year are a little more sultry.But she retains that “voluptuous cherub” look.


Chrissy Teigen No surprise here. She seems to have become instant SI royalty, having found her way into the magazine thanks in part to her pal Brooklyn Decker.
She’s getting ready to say something hilarious.
Her Twitter feed is the best of all the models’; she’s genuinely funny in a snide, bitter way. Her Golden Globes commentary from earlier this year:…was almost as awesome as her golden globes:
(Cheap joke.)

Speaking of, when asked to name her best body part, Chrissy replied, “I like my little boobs.” Genevieve and Chrissy are the only two from 2010 to mention those particular body parts. The lesson for future rookies: talk about your boobs, and you’ll be invited back.

By the way, Chrissy in 2011 has given us yet another example of a model wearing a top but not a bottom, bringing the total to four.