Megan Thee Stallion, Leyna Bloom, & Naomi Osaka Make History on Sports Illustrated Cover

Nothing says hot girl summer like becoming a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covergirl. Megan Thee Stallion, Leyna Bloom, and Naomi Osaka, are the cover models for the 2021 swimsuit editions of Sports Illustrated, and they’re making history. This is the first time a rapper, a transgender woman, and a Black female athlete will grace the cover, each photographed in different locations from Florida to California.

Because Sports Illustrated is looking for strong, empowering women to be on their covers, Megan Thee Stallion was a no-brainer. The Texas-born “Savage” singer is known for promoting body and sex positivity through her songwriting, and she does it unapologetically. While Meg has been on the cover of a few magazines at this point, covering Sports Illustrated has been her dream since she she was a kid, so she considers this a milestone. She told SI she remembers looking at an edition of the magazine when she was younger and saying, “One day, this is going to be me."

“I want to thank all the strong women in my life who inspired me to love my body and live my best hot girl life. It means the world to me to be on this cover DREAM COME TRUE!!” the rapper wrote on Instagram.

Leyna Bloom has already made waves as one of the first openly transgender runway models to walk at New York Fashion Week 2017, and she’s paving the way for transgender people everywhere once again. Bloom uses her platform to inspire others, spread self-love, and encourage self-acceptance.

“This moment heals a lot of pain in the world. We deserve this moment; we have waited millions of years to show up as survivors and be seen as full humans filled with wonder. I’m am so happy, honored, and humbled to share that I’m the 1st trans woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated!” she said on Instagram. “I dedicate this cover to all ballroom femme queens past, present and future. This historical moment is important to #girlslikeus because it allows us to live and be seen. Many girls like us don’t have the chance to live our dreams, or to live long at all. I hope my cover empowers those, who are struggling to be seen, feel valued. Let me be a messenger guiding us to a future of respect and appreciation for all women in all forms and from all walks of life.” she said.

Another woman changing the face of athletics and activism today is Naomi Osaka, holder of four Grand Slam titles and soon-to-be Olympic athlete. While she’s already been named as one of the 2020 Sports Illustrated Sportspersons of the Year and one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2019 and 2020, she is now making history as the first female Black Haitian and Japanese athlete on an Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover. The tennis legend is powerful on and off the court through her work in raising awareness about racial injustice, human rights, and mental health.

"If there's one thing that our cover models have in common, it's that they don't have one thing in common. They look different, have different upbringings, have different passions and inspirations. But each is a reminder that beauty comes in many forms,” Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editor-in-Chief MJ Day said.