NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 08: Sailor Brinkley Cook attends Art + Commerce: The Exhibition opening at Skylight Modern on September 8, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for IMG Fashion)
Sailor Brinkley Cook, 19, Paulina Porizkova, 52, and Robyn Lawley, 28, are all posing naked for a spread in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition as part of the ‘In Her Own Words’ project.
Following the #MeToo movement, the models are stripping down and writing bold words on their skin to represent how they see themselves. The black & white shots were taken by Taylor Ballantyne for the magazine’s In Her Own Words campaign, which aims to insert the iconic Sports Illustrated issue into the current push for women’s equality.
While the models do appear in the nude, their intimate parts are covered. Instead, highlighting the photos are powerful words written in black on their bodies. “Truth,” “natural,” “progress,” “creative,” “human” and “nurturer” are some of the chosen words. According to those working on the shoot, the nakedness allowed the models to express their “voice, strength and passion… in the rawest form.”
“In Her Own Words is a continuation and evolution of the essence of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit,” it explains on the magazine’s website. “It is a platform that allows the voice, the strength and the passion of these women to be expressed in the rawest form…on the naked body…with all the artistic and creative control left to them.”
By using the style of image most closely associated with the swimsuit edition and flipping it on its head, the magazine can use its platform to deliver a more empowering and meaningful message to readers. In addition, the magazine made sure that the crew working on the nude shoot was small and made up entirely of women.
“We handed over the control to the women who are our brand,” the publication explained online. “We believed in, supported and encouraged them to become a canvas and share their truth.”
Brinkley Cook, Porizkova and Lawley each commented on their decision to participate in the In Her Own Words project.
“I am a fighter. I am strong. I am romantic. I am creative. I am optimistic. I am natural. I am a work in progress, constantly evolving and learning,” Brinkley Cook wrote on Instagram. “Thank you so much to one of my best friends and inspirations @taylorbphoto for including me in a project so impactful and close to both our hearts. @robynlawley on video, @marymguthrie @campbellritchie on makeup, me on BTS photos, and all these incredible women as the subjects standing in their truths and embracing who they are or might come to be. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED BODY PAINT 2018, IN HER OWN WORDS. Thank you @mj_day @si_swimsuit im so proud of you, Tay. You did it.”
“‘In Her Own Words.’ That’s right, in her own words. As it should be. A peek at ‘The New Sports Illustrated Swimsuit of the #MeToo Era.’ 👊 We live in exciting times. Thanks to @si_swimsuit for asking me to be a part of this groundbreaking issue and to editor @mj_day and team for this top-secret, long in the making project. Photographer @taylorbphoto — you are a force and fierce and fun. In the freezing Brooklyn warehouse where we shot (the day after Christmas), I was warmed by the energy and generosity of the all-female crew: Your words inspire me.”
Lawley also thanked Sports Illustrated and all the women involved in the shoot. “Ahhhh I’m so excited!!! A project I’ve been working on for the past year is finally coming out!! “In a first in its 54-year history, the 2018 Swimsuit Issue will also feature a nude spread shot by a female photographer, @taylorbphoto and an all-women crew 😎😎😎😎 (including myself on 🎥🎥🎥) Called “In Her Own Words,” @mj_day sees it as an opportunity to continue with an idea she’s been interested in for a while: how can she use the images that you’ve come to expect from S.I. to change attitudes about women? I really cannot wait to share the film we shot and of course all the images.”
“My daughter is growing up in this world right now and I want her to love who she is because it is so important,” Lawley added in a candid interview with Sports Illustrated. “If she ever came to me and said, ‘I don’t feel comfortable in my body,’ I don’t know what I would do. I’d die on the inside. We are women and we are human. We have stretch marks. We have rolls. We have cellulite. That’s all part of our bodies. We become so obsessed with our exterior message; we give no thoughts to what’s in our heads. I just want all those girls out there to know they are so beautiful and so special.”
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Sports Illustrated Swimsuit need get into the 21st century and "free the nipple" and "free the vulva" - get past the pseudo-nudes with women covering their bodies as if there is something wrong or shameful underneath. In this post feminism era, women are embracing their bodies and their nakedness, as we become more body-positivity.