At 81, Martha Stewart Is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Cover Star

Martha Stewart is among the cover models for the 2023 Games Represented Bathing suit issue. The way of life finance manager, 81, is the most seasoned bathing suit model the magazine has highlighted, referring to the reality as “noteworthy.”

“I’m still going to Pilates every other day because it’s so great,” Stewart says, adding that she “didn’t starve herself” but prepared for the cover shoot by avoiding bread and pasta in addition to working out during the lead up to her shoot. “I live a clean life anyway — good diet, good exercise and healthy skin care and all that.”

In addition to the cover, the shoot features Stewart on the beach with horses galloping behind her, relaxing with a martini cocktail in a spacious cabana dotted with palms and ferns and other beachy scenes. While there’s no food in the shoot, Stewart is clearly serving in an image showing her floating in the sea. “For me it is a testament to good living, and I think that all of us should think about good living, successful living and not about aging,” Stewart said. “The whole aging thing is so boring.”

This is a sentiment that was echoed by another food-world icon, Padma Lakshmi, 52, who will also appear in the pages of this year’s SI Swimsuit Issue.

“My thighs may have been leaner, and my boobs were probably slightly higher in earlier parts of my life, but I have never felt better about myself,” Lakshmi said in a promo video for the issue. “I hope they see a full woman in all my facets and nuances and some contradictions. I wouldn’t go back to my 20s if you paid me all the money in the world.”

In her behind-the-scenes promo video, Stewart says becoming a swimsuit cover model was a unique opportunity — and not inspired by her usual career motivation. “Usually I’m motivated by pay,” Stewart says in the opening line of the video, telling it like it is. “But this time, I was motivated by showing people that a woman my age can still look good, feel good, be good.”

“Getting dressed in 10 different bathing suit outfits can get a little exhausting,” Stewart says, adding that she prefers to wear one thing all day, so the shoot was a bit of a switch-up for her — but, clearly, it was worth it.

“Martha Stewart is a legend. The definition of a great female entrepreneur who built a dynasty against insurmountable odds,” Day said in a statement. “While the industry wavers on its arbitrary notion of beauty, our issue has stayed the course, showcasing the women of today, the women shaping the future. This year, we’re featuring an extremely diverse group of women starting with our cover models, who are collectively the most unapologetic women from different walks of life who continue to forge their own paths on their own terms.”

“I want other women, especially women to feel that they could also be on the cover of Sports Illustrated,” Stewart said. “I don’t think about age very much, but I thought that this is kind of historic.”