2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Features First Visibly Pregnant Model

Katrina Scott, the co-founder of Tone It Up, a wellness community for women, is making history as the first visibly pregnant model to be featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

Scott, who is the 2021 Sports Illustrated Rookie of the Year, hadn’t publicly shared her pregnancy when the publication called her to ask if she would pose for the 2022 issue. “It was also very early," Scott told TODAY Parents, in reference to her pregnancy. "I said, ‘Well, I’m so grateful to be asked, but I’m happy to share that I’m pregnant!’ First there were screams and excitement and then they said, ‘We’d love to still shoot if you’re up for it.’ I of course said yes.”

Scott told TODAY she felt “honored to be a part of this moment in SI history.” The outlet has also been a part of Scott’s journey to motherhood before. “When I first shot with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, I had just experienced two miscarriages," she said, referencing her debut in the magazine’s 2021 issue. “I was pregnant twice during 2020, more than half of the year, and neither pregnancy went to full term.”

Scott also suffered a chemical pregnancy in 2021 and later underwent IVF treatments. “I walked in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway show in Miami during one of my IVF treatments, which eventually led to this baby," she told TODAY Parents. "So you could say, this little girl is already part of the SI family.”

Scott, who shares a daughter Isabelle, 3, with husband Brian, hopes the 2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue will empower women to embrace their pregnant bodies. “As women, we have been told, shown, and expected to hide (then ‘bounce back’ from) our pregnant bodies, when, in fact, our beautiful bumps embody the miracle of what it means to be Selfless, Vulnerable, and Strong,” she said. “In this issue, I hope to represent all the women out there that are creating life, feeling all the feels, and embracing change as they look to the future, especially those having difficult fertility journeys. I am with you, and you are never alone. Our bodies and minds are capable of extraordinary things, and as for me, I’m all about gracefully bouncing forward."