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Salma Hayek admits that when she was first approached to be a cover model for the new 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, she had a bit of ‘impostor syndrome.’”
“I remember when I was young and hot, I used to look at this magazine. I wanted to see who the new gorgeous model was, the new girl of the moment,” the Oscar-nominated actress for Frida told Today upon the cover reveal. “You know, my body is not necessarily the model type. I never thought that was a possibility, and for it to happen when I'm 58, I mean, it's really shocking.”
Hayek told the morning show hosts that she almost backed out, and then after trying on over 100 swimsuits and having the bikinis and one-pieces tailored to her frame, the suitcase with the goods (and all her “creams” and “remedies”) was lost in transit to the photo shoot in Mexico. Instead, she donned a small selection of extra suits.
“I was really not confident and very nervous, and showed up feeling like, ‘What am I doing here?’” she says. Then, in the first shot, a whale majestically jumped behind her in the water, and everything turned around.
“All of a sudden, I felt, this is magical!” Hayek says. “It's my land. I'm 58. I'm doing this for my generation, especially Mexican women — we thought we were going to be dismissed at 35. And I got so excited, and I felt really free.”
The actor, director and producer is part of the growing roster of 55-plus women featured on the cover of the famed magazine. Recent peers include TV anchor Gayle King, model Maye Musk, supermodel Christie Brinkley, and author-entrepreneur Martha Stewart, who, at 81, was the oldest cover girl in franchise history.
“Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has always been about more than swimsuits and stunning imagery,” MJ Day, the editor in chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, noted of Hayek’s cover. “It’s about creating a platform to capture moments that define our times, celebrating people who are shaping culture, and showcasing beauty on a world stage.”
Hayek told AARP in 2021 that embracing new adventures like this keeps her feeling young. “Growing old, to me, has to do with repetition,” she explains. “Something gets old when you’ve done it for a long time.” People of any age who approach life with a sense of wonder and openness to change defy that process. “If you’re always changing, if you’re always curious, how can you be old?” she asks. “You’re someone new today.”
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, which also features Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, swimsuit model and gymnast Olivia Dunne and model and entrepreneur Lauren Chan, hits newsstands May 17.
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