Sailor Brinkley Cook bared all for an empowering nude shoot for the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, and she has no problem hitting back at critics who are claiming that she is merely objectifying herself.
The 19-year-old daughter of supermodel Christie Brinkley was one of the models who stripped down and turned her body into a canvas for the publications’s In Her Own Words project. After the SI Swimsuit issue dropped on Tuesday, Sailor took to Instagram to defend the spread and her choice to participate in it.
‘Hearing the backlash towards the In Her Own Words project hurts my heart,’ she wrote. ‘To know that we are in a world where if a woman chooses to embrace her body, strip nude and pose powerfully she is being told she is objectifying herself makes me not only uncomfortable but makes me really feel the need to say what I’m about to say.
Owning it: Sailor Brinkley Cook stripped down as part of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s ‘In Her Words’ shoot
‘Hurts my heart’: The 19-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday to defend the shoot after critics claimed she and the other models were objectifying themselves
Black and white photos from the shoot show Sailor posing completely naked with ‘truthful’ words written all over her body, and she made sure to stress that she wanted to be a part of the project, as did the other models.
‘This project, for me and for the other girls who CHOSE to participate, was about TAKING OUR POWER BACK,’ she said. ‘In an industry where it is rare for models to have a say in the content they are being used to create, having total self control and creative control during the IHOW shoot was true and unbridled self empowerment.’
Sailor said the ‘very emotional’ project took over a year to complete, noting that she was on every on of the shoots.
‘When a girl came in to shoot it was a real experience,’ she explained, ‘it wasn’t on a time limit and it didn’t have corporate heads you didn’t know the name of screaming to “get the shot!”
‘It was a group of women working together to create something special for the world and most importantly themselves. Models/athletes/PEOPLE chose to do this. They did not get told to do this,’ she added.
In the buff: Sailor joined Aly Rasiman, Paulina Porizkova, Robyn Lawley, and a cast of other models in the nude Sports Illustrated Swimsuit spread
Empowering: Photos from the shoot show Sailor posing with words like ‘strong’ written on her body
Sailor insisted there was no pressure to pose for the spread. If a model was feeling too emotional and didn’t want to be on set that day, she didn’t have to. She would come back the next day, and they would talk about how they were feeling.
‘If someone backed out, all good, we understood how emotional it can be to strip yourself of not only clothes but an armor we all put up from exterior criticism,’ she said.
‘This project had the intention of showing women feeling POWERFUL in who they are. That’s that,’ she added.
The powerful project meant a lot to Sailor, who has candidly spoken about how she used to struggle with body image and the pressure to be thin.
‘I grew up hating my body and myself thus creating a overlying insecurity felt throughout my teen years’ she wrote. ‘Doing this project helped me turn a leaf in my confidence and insecurity.
Learning to love herself: Sailor has been candid about her past struggles with body image, and she said the project helped her accept herself more
Sharing her truth: Sailor wrote ‘artist’ on her arm and ‘lover’ on her chest
‘I feel sexy I feel secure I feel badass I feel like I can pose naked and be respected just as much as anyone else,’ she ended her post.
Sailor joined Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, 23, and models Paulina Porizkova, 52, and Robyn Lawley, 28, who also took part in the nude shoot shot by Taylor Ballantyne.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the In Her Words project marks the ‘evolution’ of the iconic Sports Illustrated issue in the light of the ongoing push for women’s equality.
Each one of the women stripped down and wrote words that represent how they see themselves over their bodies.
Aly’s shoot has been released just weeks after she took to the stand at the trial of pedophile Team USA doctor Larry Nassar in order to offer a powerful victim impact statement detailing the abuse she suffered at his hands.
Brave: Aly Raisman also posed naked for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 2018 issue
Making a statement: The 23-year-old posed for the shoot not long after taking the stand at the trial of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar
Bold: The gymnast posed with ‘truthful and empowering’ words written across her body, including ‘survivor’ on her chest
Team: Aly said she felt comfortable once they started shooting because ‘everyone on set was so supportive’
‘I’m so excited to be a part of the issue for the second year in a row,’ Aly, who posed in an athletic-themed bikini spread last year, told Sports Illustrated.
‘This year has an extra special meaning to me, because it’s such an incredible time for women and everyone should feel as though they can express themselves however they want.
‘For the shoots, I was excited, but also a little nervous in the beginning, because it’s still a new experience. Once we started shooting, I felt comfortable because everyone on set was so supportive!’
Aly’s bikini shoot took place in Aruba, and saw her posing in front of photographer James Macari.
Aly, who has become a vocal advocate for body positivity and for survivors of sexual assault, explained that one of the messages behind the shoot is that ‘women do not have to be modest to be respected.’
Impressions: ‘For the shoots, I was excited, but also a little nervous in the beginning, because it’s still a new experience,’ Aly said
Inspiration: Aly explained that one of the messages behind the shoot is that ‘women do not have to be modest to be respected’
Advocate: Aly’s shoot allowed her to ‘take control’ in front of the camera and gave her the chance to direct how the photos were taken
‘I believe that women (or anyone) should be able to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable and happy,’ she added. ‘Our society puts too much pressure on women and young girls to look “perfect,” and we have to stop doing that.
‘I’m proud that SI Swim is using women of all shapes and sizes with various backgrounds. Each woman in the issue has her own unique story, and I am honored to be a part of it.’
The gymnast, who made headlines after staring down her abuser in court while delivering her incredibly strong statement last month, wants her voice as well as that of other girls and women to be heard.
‘I take the responsibility [to be a role model] very seriously,’ Aly, who twice captained her country’s gymnastics team at the Olympics, said. ‘I am proud to be considered a role model, and I hope that by using my voice, I can help create change for future generations.
Speaking out: The gymnast, who made headlines after staring down her abuser in court while delivering her incredibly strong statement last month (pictured), wants her voice to be heard
‘Everyone deserves to feel safe and heard. We must listen to those that speak up and offer our help.’
While posing provocatively while nude might not immediately seem like a move away from the publication’s traditional projects, those behind the shoot insisted that the nakedness was a form of expression, allowing the models involved to express their ‘voice, strength and passion… in the rawest form’.
The intention was to use the kinds of images that readers expect from the magazine and then use those as a platform to deliver a more meaningful and empowering message. It is in fact the first time that a fully nude spread — which was shot by a female photographer — will run in the publication, which previously focused more on raunchy shots featuring risque swimwear.
‘In Her Own Words is a continuation and evolution of the essence of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit,’ the publication explained on its 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.’
Work of art: As part of SI’s ‘In Her Own Words’ project, Paulina (pictured) and the other models stripped down and turned their body into canvases covered with meaningful words
Strike a pose: The words written on their bodies represent how they see themselves, and Robyn posed with ‘creative’ and ‘nurturer’ emblazoned on her upper body
In order to make the models feel as comfortable as possible in the face of the perhaps-daunting prospect of posing nude in front of cameras and a crew of people, the magazine ‘stripped down’ its studio and used a team comprised of only women for this particular shoot.
‘We handed over the control to the women who are our brand,’ it explained online. ‘We believed in, supported and encouraged them to become a canvas and share their truth.’
Indeed, supermodel Paulina, who had the word ‘truth’ written on her side, told SI the project is about so much ‘more than being naked’.
‘It’s not just that you’re nude, but it’s also, “You’re nude and you show me the way you want me to see you.” It’s even more naked than naked,’ she explained.
‘I wanted to say that I’m not ashamed of my body and you shouldn’t be ashamed of your body, no matter what age you are. We all have our own truths. We all want to live according to our own truths. We want to be true to ourselves so truth is what matters more than anything.’
Exposed: Paulina, 52, posed with the word ‘truth’ written on her side, and she said the shoot is ‘more than being naked’
Parent: Robyn, 28, has a tow-year-old daughter named Ripley, and she had the word ‘mother’ written below her collar bone
The powerful project was particularly meaningful for Sailor.
‘It was really special to be a part of this and get to express myself in a very raw, uncensored way,’ she said. ‘Having these words written all over your naked body and having that next level of exposure — I felt sexy, obviously, but I felt more emotional and it helped me accept myself.’
Sailor wrote ‘artist’ on her arm and ‘natural’ on the curve of her backside before striking an elegant pose for the project.
Meanwhile, Robyn hopes that the shoot will help other girls — including her nearly three-year-old daughter Ripley — realize they more than just a sum of their physical features.
‘My daughter is growing up in this world right now and I want her to love who she is because it is so important,’ she told SI.
‘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,’ she added. ‘I just want all those girls out there to know they are so beautiful and so special.’
Role model: Robyn stressed that she wants her daughter to grow up loving who she is
‘Mother,’ ‘nurturer,’ ‘human,’ and ‘creative,’ were just a few of the words Robyn had scrawled across her body for the shoot.
For editor MJ Day, the shoot marks a big shift for the publication, and one which she feels has been worked towards for many years now.
She has made concerted efforts to embrace a much more diverse cast of Swimsuit stars, explaining to Vanity Fair that she hopes to continue diversifying the magazine beyond the rather narrow standards of beauty that it once embraced and celebrated.
‘Why are we only saying to ourselves that there’s just one type of person that’s worthy of being celebrated?’ she asked.
‘It’s bulls**t, and we all know it, and we all live it, yet it’s continued to be propagated in the media.’
She went on to explain to Vanity Fair that this does not mean the magazine is going to turn its back on those sexy beach-based shoots that have filled its pages for years – instead MJ hopes that she can alter the way that the images, and particularly the women in them, are viewed.
‘It’s about allowing women to exist in the world without being harassed or judged regardless of how they like to present themselves. That’s an underlying thread that exists throughout the Swimsuit Issue,’ she said.
‘You have Harvard graduates, you have billion-dollar moguls, you have philanthropists, you have teachers, you have mothers—you have a full range of women represented in the alumnus of this magazine, and not one of them failed because they wore a bikini.’