My SI Review
Please keep in mind that my perspective is from someone who is only acquainted with SISE. I have an extensive knowledge of each of the HF models' careers, but not so much the girls who are mostly just SI/swim models. Please do NOT read my review if you will feel offended if I criticize your favorite model.
Also, most of these models (especially the rookies) I have met in person so I can offer that perspective as well. If I have met them, I've included it in the description.
Regulars
Kate Upton - Just WOW. Her posing is on point, she has presence, and she has improved SO much! There is a reason why Kate sells. She has everything an SI could ever ask for in a model. Her boobs are out of this world, and yes, those bikini tops should always be small for Kate.
Chrissy Teigen - Meh. She's got a decent body but her face is what ruins it. Many people have spoken about how awful her personality is. I haven't been following her so I can't comment on that. But from the pictures alone I just can't deal with her face. All her facial features are too small, save for her cheeks and forehead. Plus she looks slightly deranged in a few shots.
Nina Agdal - PERFECT. Future star here. She has the posing down, presence, and a solid body. Absolutely nothing negative to say. Plus she's a real joy to fans and lovely in person.
Ariel Meredith - Not too familiar with her. Nothing sticks out to me. Her body is subpar and her face is average. She's like Selita's less attractive sibling.
Kate Bock - I actually liked her! Didn't know her before, but she definitely has something going on. I don't think she's special enough to be a future cover model, but she makes a great hot blonde filler model. Huge improvement from last year.
Irina Shayk - I'm familiar with Irina. I like her a lot, but I felt like she didn't bring anything new this year. Her face can look really really bad at certain angles too. When the lighting is right and her face is at the right angle, she is perfection! I like how she brings that more exotic, Eastern European vibe to SI.
Genevieve Morton - Total butterface. I'm sorry but I do not get her appeal AT ALL. The bangs remind me too much of a young child, and her face does not have anything striking or unique about it. Her jawline is terrible for a model and her body looks pretty average too for a big chested girl. Like I said before, she looks like a Playboy reject, and a bad one at that. She's just IDK, inconsistent? In some shots she looks like she's trying too hard to be sexy, while in others she looks like a shy young girl. Either look is not appealing. I do give her credit though that she is super well spoken and nice. However, the average male SI reader doesn't care about that.
Hannah Davis - She's pretty hot. Great athletic build, and her face is lovely. Posing is awesome too!
Jessica Gomez - I like her! Her face is lovely and she's obviously got a banging body. Her posing is great and I like how relaxed she looks; it's super sexy.
Anne V - I have a soft spot for Anne. I got to meet her and she is really really nice, and very striking in person. (Also very pale in person too, but that's another story haha) I definitely feel like she was robbed for the cover. Regardless, her shots are WAY too photoshopped. They look like cartoons. This isn't her best year, nor her worst. It felt sorta average.
Emily DiDonato - I have seen Emily at least 10 times in person (she frequents the same coffee shop as I do). Needless to say, these pictures do NOT do her justice at all. In person she is beyond stunning and striking, while here she looks not as good. Her shots look rather mediocre and lifeless? I think it's the lighting. Something is off. Please don't shoot me for saying this, but I think the problem also is that she has gained a significant amount of weight (for a model). Her face looks slightly bloated, and her small chest doesn't match the rest of her body as a result. At her lower weight her face was more prominent and she seemed to be more chesty. Just my opinion, don't take it too seriously.
Natasha Barnard - Don't know her too well. She's fine I guess? She's definitely a filler model for me. Her shots are way too photoshopped too, it looks rather lifeless.
Rookies
EmRata - Oh man oh man oh man. Let me just say, her body is show stopping and is driving me crazy. Best boobs I have ever seen, and her ass is amazing too. She knows how to pose to show off her body in the best ways. Not her fault, but her make up is awful. I wish they approached her with a more "natural" look, because she's already super super sexy. I wish she would have smiled more in her shots. I hope she does SI at least one more year.
Cris Urena - SO classy. I like how she's sexy, but in a statuesque way. Some may say she's boring, but I think she has a really calm disposition about her, which makes it sexy. I wish she smiled a little more too.
Samantha Hoopes - This girl is totally lost. She. looks. so. robotic. Just no! Her facial expressions are also terrible. She looks borderline bored/disgusted. Wasted spot IMO.
Hannah Ferguson - Meh. She's pretty bland. Totally forgettable, and nothing stands out to me. Her face isn't doing it, but great body though.
Lauren Mellor - Meh. Posing isn't too good, and she looks old. Forgettable.
Chanel Iman - I have encountered Chanel many times. Her personality is awful, but I'll put that aside for now. I honestly love her pictures. She looks SO natural. I like how they kept her hair curly. She's a total beach babe! Plus that face. It is unforgettable! She nailed posing and facial expressions. Well done.
Gigi Hadid - Gigi is SOOO nice! I met her a few weeks ago after the Desigual show and she took pictures with fans, signed autographs, and was really really sweet. Really stunning in person too. She reminds me a lot of Esti. Her shots came out great. She looks like the shy, sexy blonde girl next door. There is something sweet about her, but still super sexy. That's so appealing, especially for SI. Hope to see her return.
Lily Aldridge - Hats off to her. WOW is all I can say. She has grown so much as a model, and her shots are to die for. If there was a rookie to be on the cover, it had to be her!! She's probably shot swim for VS a lot, so she knows how to pose. But she turned up the sex appeal for SI and it is working overtime! Flawless face and body. Great, great casting choice. Plus, I have met her and she is beyond sweet in person. Super stunning too.
Bregje Heinen - I like her a lot as a model, but the make up is way too harsh. Bregje probably has one of the most "controversial" faces for the male demographic, so the make up was not a good idea. I wish she smiled more too. Her body is on point, but she looks rather harsh in her pics. I wish she and Marloes traded photoshoots. Marloes could have benefitted more from a fashion oriented shoot, while Bregje from a more natural one.
Marloes Horst - I love her as a model, but her shots are very hit and miss. Some are out of this world good, and some are totally average. She come across wayyy better in videos. I'm happy for her though. After not getting casted for the VSFS this was a great opportunity for her. I think she's too women's mag and not men's mag. She's very delicate and her face looks really young.
Sara Sampaio - I'm gonna have a very unpopular opinion here, but I think her shots are rather underwhelming. The problem with Sara is that she has a super super masculine face. The strong jawline, intense eyes, dark eyebrows is a lot. When she's smiling she looks perfect, but when she's not, she looks way too manly. She needs to go for the more carefree, fun type shots because otherwise it is WAY too intense. Her smile is great though! Her body looks phenomenal too.
Valerie Van der Graaf - What is going on with her face?! Either it's just bad make up or bad genetics. she looks so distorted. Huge NO from me. Great boobs/body, but her face kills it.