Topless Tuesday: 1971 (The Pioneers)

If my research is correct, 1971 provided the first two topless photos in the history of the swimsuit issue.

First, on pages 36 and 37, we’re treated to a spread of covergirl Tannia Rubiano, shot from the back:

(Sorry about the gutter. Sadly, I do not have a physical copy of the 1971 issue, so I had to create a screencap of the reproduction online.)

Then, a few pages later, we find Cynthia Korman, also demurely keeping her back to the camera (but still managing to show off some cleavage).

It’s interesting to note the way these two shots are described in the captions. A point is made of the fact that these girls are not wearing tops.

For Tannia, it describes “…the hotel’s private beach—accessible only by sea or air. In such seclusion tops and cares may be discarded; Tannia (center) does both…”

For Cynthia, the caption describes her attire as a “costume suited to sunshine and seclusion.”

Toplessness was rare and remarkable enough for it to be called out, where now it’s pretty commonplace. In fact, I believe it was another eight eleven years before another topless bikini would appear in SI.

Covers of Covers

A sharp-eyed, anonymous commenter pointed something out to me yesterday, something I failed to see despite it being directly in front of me. For the 50th swimsuit issue, SI must be recreating some iconic covers, using current models and bodypaint.

Looks like we’re getting Babette March (1964):

…Tannia Rubiano (1971):

…and Tyra and Valeria (1996):

I think it’s a great idea—a celebration of the history of the issue, mixed in with the relatively recent bodypainting tradition and some current favorite models.

Tyra’s 1997 cover and Daniela’s 1995 cover have already been impersonated by Marisa. What other covers would you like to see? Who’s our generation’s Paulina?

What current models would they cast as the 1994 threesome?

This feature seems like something that should be a surprise, not to be revealed until February of 2013. I wonder if MJ Day and company accidentally released more clues than they were supposed to?

In any case, I just got a jolt of excitement about the 2013 issue. Just a couple months to wait.