Martha Stewart, who has previously worked as a model, chef, and TV presenter in addition to operating her home and living publications, stated on Instagram, “I am so thrilled to be on the cover of the @SI_Swimsuit issue! My motto has always been: “when you’re through changing, you’re through,” so I thought, why not be up for this opportunity of a lifetime? I hope this cover inspires you to challenge yourself to try new things, no matter what stage of life you are in. Changing, evolving, and being fearless — those are all very good things, indeed.”
Megan Fox, Kim Petras (the second trans woman to appear on the SI swimsuit cover), and Brooks Nader were the other three models for the issue.
Sports Illustrated called Stewart the “OG of influencers”. “Never in her life has she let her circumstances dictate her outcome,” SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day said. “She’s changed with the times—always one step ahead, it seems—to build a wide-reaching business empire.”
The oldest SI swimsuit cover before Stewart was Maye Musk, model and mother of Elon Musk, who featured last year at the age of 74.
SI has featured people of various ages, sexualities, ethnicities, and body types in its swimsuit edition over the years. Nonetheless, sexist complaints have been leveled against the sports magazine, which has produced a swimsuit issue since 1964.
Stewart is known as the “first self-made billionaire woman” in America. While her reputation suffered in 2004-05 when she was convicted and imprisoned in an insider trading case, she has worked hard to rehabilitate her brand after her release.
Who exactly is Martha Stewart?
Martha Helen Kostyra was born in New Jersey on August 3, 1941, to two teachers. She worked as a model for numerous corporations, including Chanel and Unilever, to pay her way through college. She married Andrew Stewart, who went on to found a publishing business when she was 20.
Martha maintained a catering business for a while before publishing Entertaining in 1982. She has now published 98 other books on topics ranging from cooking to party planning to home decoration. She also launched a magazine and a TV show about home and living, and in 1997, consolidated her various ventures under one company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
Sports Illustrated wrote about her, “Stewart is the founder of the first multichannel lifestyle company (Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia), an entrepreneur, the best-selling author of 99 lifestyle books to date and an Emmy Award–winning television show host. Reaching more than 100 million fans every month through her magazines, television shows, books, and products for the home, she is the “go-to” source for the homemaker.”
She was convicted in 2004 for lying about her stock transaction of ImClone Systems Inc, a biotech business, in 2001. “Stewart was found guilty of conspiracy, making false statements, and obstructing agency proceedings,” according to Reuters. She was sentenced to five months in jail and five months of home detention, both of which she completed, as well as a fine.
Martha returned to her TV shows and lifestyle brand after her release. She also has her reality program and appeared in a 2016 TV series alongside her friends and musician Snoop Dogg.
The Swimsuit Controversy and Sexism
Sports Illustrated has attempted to reposition its swimsuit issue as “empowering” in recent years, particularly following the #MeToo movement, by praising varied body types and women’s choices, among other things.
When its 58th issue came out last year, the magazine said in a statement that “SI Swim has grown from its fun-and-sun roots into a brand focused on inclusion, empowerment and the constant redefinition of what’s beautiful”.
The statement added, “Starting now, the annual Swimsuit Issue and SI Swim’s digital outlets will accept advertising only from companies with demonstrated programs to advance gender equality and drive progress for women’s empowerment…Additionally, SI Swimsuit will invest a portion of every ad dollar generated by the annual magazine issue to create the Sports Illustrated Gender Equity Fund. The fund will support a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an equitable future for all women.”
While these measures have been lauded, detractors have maintained that, regardless of the diversity of the models, the women are still posing in swimwear, which might be interpreted as pandering solely to the male gaze. Arguments have been made that sexually objectifying a broader range of women isn’t exactly empowering, and that if Sports Illustrated truly wants to do something for women, a great place to start would be to give more coverage to women’s sports while avoiding sexualizing female athletes.