The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: The Top Five Unforgettable SI Photographs

by Peter Stenson

Early in February, the country is filled with teenage boys volunteering to bring in the mail. With an excitement akin to Christmas morning, these boys walk to the mailbox, rifle through their parent’s bills, until they see it, the Holy Grail of those awkward years – their father’s copy of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Or maybe I was the only one.

With less than two weeks until the 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue hits newsstands and fills mailboxes, I got to thinking, “What were the best, most memorable, most significant photographs of the Swimsuit Issue’s forty-six year history?” Sure, I had my own dog-eared copies from the nineties somewhere, but personal taste for these photographs seemed somehow, well, pathetic. So I expanded my questions, thinking along the lines of what these famous photographs meant for the models, their careers, and the evolution of swimsuit photography. It is with that thought I will breakdown the top five SI Swimsuit photos.

Number 5 – Kathy Ireland, Cover 1989, Photographed by Paolo Curto

Perhaps this is a strange selection from Ireland’s illustrious SI career – a career in which she graced the cover three times and appeared in thirteen consecutive Swimsuit Issues, but I believe it to be indicative of the kind of modeling she did her entire life. The photograph was bold yet innocent, wholesome yet seductive, the wisp of her bang suggesting “I am the girl next door,” her body suggesting otherwise. It was the photograph that propelled Ireland’s career, as her personal swimsuit calendar became one of the highest grossing calendars in history. She parlayed her early SI success into a life as a fitness guru, releasing videos such as Kathy Ireland’s Total Fitness and Great Buns in 12 minutes.

Number 4 – Heidi Klum, 1998, Photographed by Robert Erdmann

Rising from the ocean off a sandy beach in Vabbinfaru, Klum ascended to international fame with her appearance in the ’98 SI Swimsuit Issue. Although not the cover shot (in which she also appeared), this photograph has always had a special place in my heart. With the undersized top from Todd Oldham Jeans paired with the mismatching bottoms by Nicole Miller, Klum personifies the quintessential “beach bum” girl, a style that many teenagers tried to copy with the didn’t-have-time-to-blow-dry-my-hair look. Klum described this photograph as a “big international breakthrough.” And that it was. She rode this success, coupled with her Victoria’s Secret fame, to become the host of the wildly popular television show Project Runway.

Number 3 – Christie Brinkley, 2002, Photographed by John G Zimmerman

You may want to argue that my choosing of Christie Brinkley’s 2002 photograph is more of a “career achievement award” than anything else. I will respond that you are dead wrong. Yes, I could have chosen one of her three SI cover shots (79-81), or one from the multitude that were taken when she was a younger woman, but to me, and I would be willing to bet for a fair number of you, her 2002 photograph was, and is, unforgettable. Aside from the swimsuit, if you can call it that, the photo is simply remarkable. It possesses a sense of strong horizontal movement from the waves and birds, juxtaposed to the vertical line of Brinkley’s body. She is part of nature but separate. Oh, and did I mention the swimsuit? From Brinkley’s exposure in SI, she entered a twenty-year partnership as the face of Cover Girl. She was featured on the cover of the all-time best selling issue of Life Magazine. She became one of the first and most famous supermodels ever.

Number 2 – Cheryl Tiegs, 1978, Photographed by Walter Looss, Jr.

The photograph that shocked a nation. Cheryl Tiegs, a quiet Minnesota girl, exposed herself to the international world with this photograph. Many a person, both men and women, regardless of effort, will never forget this picture. From a composition standpoint, the picture isn’t much. From a here-I-am-in-my-entirety standpoint, this photograph rests alone. As legend goes, Tiegs decided to take a swim in her suit by Monika for Elon at the beach in Brazil as the photography crews prepared. Emerging from the water, an impromptu shoot commenced. Tiegs claims that she had no idea of how transparent the suit was. Well, either way, the “transparency” of Tiegs’ modeling lead her to appear in the Swimsuit Issue thirteen more times.

Number 1 – Tyra Banks, 1997, Photographed by Russell James

Everyone remembers his or her first love. Tyra, you had me at hello. This SI cover shot on a Bahaman beach will always be my favorite. It is seared into my brain, much like each of the six fumbles from the Vikings last weekend. When curves were on the outs in the fashion word, Tyra brought them back with vengeance. From her hair blowing across her face to her dipped shoulder to her lowered hip, everything in this photograph is moving, is swaying, and is making the pronouncement that curves are beautiful. And with her thumbs tucked into her Salinas For Pisces Swimwear trunks, one just has to wonder what happens next?

Aside from being a remarkable photograph and from her startling beauty, this photograph marked the first time in Sports Illustrated history when an African American model was awarded the cover. Banks capitalized on her universal appeal with a long and successful career in modeling, television, and acting (wasn’t Coyote Ugly up for an Oscar?).

So there you have it. My top five, most memorable photographs in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue history. What does it all mean? If you are an SI subscriber, make sure you get to the mailbox before anyone else on February 9^th.