The sexiest ‘Sports Illustrated’ swimsuit issue cover models of all time
Top 10 sexiest ‘Sports Illustrated’ swimsuit issue cover models of all time
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Elle Macpherson
This Wonder from Down Under holds the record for appearing front and center five times. Her very first cover in 1986 catapulted her to fame and kept her coming back four more times (including three consecutive years in a row).
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Tyra Banks
In 1996, Tyra Banks broke barriers as the first African-American woman to be featured on the cover of the iconic swimsuit edition. And once we got our hands on it we realized that we’d been waiting much too long for her. Luckily, Victoria’s Secret came calling soon after and the rest was supermodel history.
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Brooklyn Decker
Brooklyn may have only achieved cover model status with her 2010 appearance, but she’s been making waves in the modeling world and Hollywood since then.
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Kate Upton
Kate Upton rocked her swimsuit so well in 2012, for a consecutive cover the following year. In 2013, the 21-year old Florida native went ‘Polar Bare,’ according to the coverline, posing in little more than a scarf and boots in icy-cold Antarctica.
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Beyonce Knowles
Lady Bey was the first, and so far the only, non-model to appear on the cover and it’s not hard to see why. The 2009 edition put the singer/dancer/actress’ gorgeous curves on display in the sand and we definitely did not mind.
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Cheryl Tiegs
If you hit puberty in the ’70s, you probably had a poster of this sexy swimsuit model hanging by your bed. Guys around the globe owe Cheryl big time for getting them through those awkward years and for changing the face (and the future) of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.Although she sported an odd long-sleeve sweater in 1970, her second cover in 1975 flaunted more of her assets than any previous issue ever dared.
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Bar Rafaeli
What could be better than a swimsuit cover model? How about a supersized version of her? This Israeli stunner’s 2009 cover was so spectacular, they had to put it on a plane. Literally.
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Kathy Ireland
In 1989, Kathy Ireland’s first cover (also the 25th anniversary of the swimsuit edition) became the magazine’s best-selling swimsuit issue. One look at her slicked back hair, shimmering wet body, and teeny yellow bikini and it’s not too hard to see why.
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Irina Shayk
While Shayk may not have been a household name when she graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, this gorgeous Russian’s voluptuous curves from her 2011 shoot helped catapult her career to the top.
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Heidi Klum
No swimsuit model story would be complete without a nod to “The Body.” Klum’s first cover appearance in 1998 paid extra-special attention to her killer curves and , not surprisingly, the Project Runway star’s career skyrocketed soon after.
