"I was like, 'Oh my god, I get to finally shoot a shot that's going to remind me of my reasons for wanting to get into modelling.'"
PS: Do you have a favourite swimsuit you've shot in for Sports Illustrated through the years?
JS: One of my favourites, which I didn't think would be one of my favourites, is the white high-waist bikini I wear on my cover. I don't normally do a high-waist, but it's so retro and I love the entire vibe of it. Another one I'm obsessed with from last year was this metallic-y purple bikini that very much reminded me of old shots from SI swim. I remember [SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief] MJ looking at me saying, "Girl, if you can squeeze into this one, it's gonna be everything." I remember squeezing into it and being so excited that I even got into it. I was like, "Oh my God, I get to finally shoot a shot that's going to remind me of my reasons for wanting to get into modelling." I feel like MJ really made sure that she brought that old feel back into this shoot, like the chains on the cover. I love that the girls are in white for their independent covers and in black and gold for the group shot.
PS: What's a little-known fact or tidbit about modelling swimwear you think people would be surprised to find out?
JS: MJ once said to me — and I thought it was the craziest thing but she was so right — is the smaller the bikini the better your body looks. No matter your body type, stop hiding your body, just own it. In all honestly, that's how I feel about any piece of clothing. If you're not confident in what you wear, someone is going to nit-pick something. MJ starts us in the smallest bikini out of all of them. I'm just like, "Oh my god. Are you kidding me? This is what I'm wearing?" She's like, "Trust me." And you trust her!
I also think it's important to always talk to the photographer. Say, "Feel free to yell something to me. If you want me to do something and if I'm comfortable doing it, I'll do it." Just yell over, "Hey, do this real quick or try this out." Your photographer can feed back and forth with you. Whoever is in front of the camera is going to do what they need to do more of because they have someone kicking them in their butt in a positive way.