2020 SI Swimsuit

[effyja2012]

1 hour ago, Clauds said:

 

- Mia Kang somehow beat the likes of Caroline Kelly, Daniela López Osorio, Kyra Santoro and Megan Williams in the first of any horrible Model Searches. 

 

 

 

My disgruntlement, as could probably be assumed by my avatar, began with that.

 

I think your post was right on the money.  All of the Diane Smith issues were good, except perhaps 2010(?) which was very dull.  It's almost as if they threw all caution to the wind in 2014 with everything from the hype of the 50th anniversary to all the locations to the (lack of) editing, and then crashed down.  2015 was a worthy follow up, and 2016 & '17 had their moments, but the rot was setting in, and the timing of MJ taking control can not be ignored.  The wokeness can be forgiven if it's not at the expense of the actual product, but it has been.  2020 was marginally better, but with SI/Maven focusing on other things (see previous post), and funding issues (COVID is surely a factor too), i seriously wonder if 2020 was the swan song

[SympathysSilhouette]

Personally I think the decline precedes MJ's tenure by a few years. Not that the absolute worst issues haven't all come under her leadership.

[Clauds]

I think the last time I was like WOW, was probably 2012. 2013 and 2014 were good, not mind-blowing but still good, 2015 was already shaky and 2016 was IMO the beginning of the disaster we now have.

[elfstone]

2011 was the last great issue with Rookie Kate, Alyssa, Brooklyn and Irina at her prime. That was before SI went into a gradual yet palpable decline 

[SympathysSilhouette]

20 hours ago, elfstone said:

2011 was the last great issue with Rookie Kate, Alyssa, Brooklyn and Irina at her prime. That was before SI went into a gradual yet palpable decline 

 

I think I would agree with that.

 

After that there were still some decent issues and even the bad ones had some decent shoots. This year is the first one where I think the entire thing is terrible.

[Clauds]

I wasn't a massive fan of the 2011 rookie class as it had both Kenza Fourati and Shannan Click and both girls I strongly don't like, the last great rookie class was 2013 with Em Didonato, Hannah Davis, Natasha Barnard and Kate Bock. Overall I think 2012 and 2013 were pretty okay even though I wasn't a massive fan of either cover (Kate was great, but they chose very bad pictures), 2014 was already kinda underwhelming even tho the cast was still quite solid, 2015 had some amazing shoots (like Nina and Hannah F's) but also some very meh ones and there were some bad casting choices that none of us agreed with, but 2016 was the first year we were all collectively in shock at how bad it was and it has just gone downhill from there with this year hitting a new low.

 

I remember complaining about Julie Henderson and Jessica Gomes being a magazine back then... Little did I know I'd come to miss them both

 

My main question is tho, what happened to photographers like Walter and Bjorn Iooss? Ben Watts? James Macari? Derek Kettela? None of them have been back and they were all pretty good (unless they got fired for being gross, in which case I get it)

 

EDIT: There's more Raphael Mazzucco, Kayt Jones, Riccardo Tinelli, Stewart Shing... Honestly now that I'm noticing, it seems like their best photographers stopped working with them? IDK but a lot of them haven't shot in the last two years or more and I think it really shows in how bad and boring the photography has become.

[sixnevergiveup]

I have been a big fan of SI since 2008. (Marisa Miller omg!!)

 

I guess most fans like me, has been disappointed at how bad the issue has become in the past few years for a couple reasons:-

 

1. casting ..there use to be some big names in the issues..Marisa Miller, brooklyn decker, bar refaeli, kate upton, nina adgal, irina shayk...these are not just models...they are like supermodels..and some of them became worldwide famous because of SI. Whereas now...how many supermodel became famous because of SI. 

Looking at the models involved in the issue...some of them cannot really classified as models ...let alone top notched models...

 

2. Didnt focus on the "swimsuit" part enough....there are some pics taken by the models...they didnt really wear swimsuits...look at Vita Sidorkina and Emily Didonato...i think they are both very attractive...yet they are really not wearing swimsuits in this year issue.....the hats and boots....i was like wth..

 

3. didnt feature some of the models enough/heavily...there are some very top models besides the names mentioned in point no.1 ....i admit mostly from Victoria Secret... Emily, Lais, Lily, Barbara and Sara......i like these 5 very much...but SI had to distribute the pics/videos evenly....so these better models only got the same videos as the average models...my view is that...when you got a beautiful model...you feature her heavily..that is how you make an outstanding model famous...(like the girls mentioned in point 1)

 

4. photographers...no need explain this one....

[Bloodshot]

On 7/28/2020 at 7:36 AM, Weasel79 said:

Didn't she start out ok? It's been the last three/ four years that have seen a slide in quality with too much woke agenda. 

 

I think you hit the nail on the head, trying to be woke has killed it.  From a male perspective, I have zero interest in a swimsuit issue filled with 50% overweight women, that's just NOT attractive.  Modeling to me is like pro sports, you don't get there based on participation, it's merit based.  As an athlete you actually have to be GOOD at your sport, you don't see a bunch of short overweight people playing in the NBA just to be inclusive.  Models are supposed to be beautiful and possibly "unobtainable", not average women that you see walking down the street every day.

[SympathysSilhouette]

It isn't just about the women who were cast by MJ for her "activism through SISE" nonsense.

 

The models who aren't in that category have visibly declined in quality and status too in the last 5-8 years.

 

I mean, I think Samantha Hoopes can be hilarious in her endearingly unfiltered nature in some of the interviews I have seen of her, but even in the early 2000s, she would have never gotten near the magazine (let alone during its 1980s and 1990s heyday). Yet here we are, with her having been in the issue SEVEN times.

 

Compare that to say the 2001 issue:

 

Heidi Klum, Elsa Benitez , Fernanda Tavares, Veronica Varekova,  Yamila Diaz-Rahi, Daniela Pestova, Lujan Fernandez, Molly Sims, Josie Maran, Noemie Lenoir, Petra Nemcova, ...

 

There is no way that Samantha gets within a million miles of getting into that issue.

 

[Bloodshot]

4 hours ago, SympathysSilhouette said:

It isn't just about the women who were cast by MJ for her "activism through SISE" nonsense.

 

The models who aren't in that category have visibly declined in quality and status too in the last 5-8 years.

 

I mean, I think Samantha Hoopes can be hilarious in her endearingly unfiltered nature in some of the interviews I have seen of her, but even in the early 2000s, she would have never gotten near the magazine (let alone during its 1980s and 1990s heyday). Yet here we are, with her having been in the issue SEVEN times.

 

Compare that to say the 2001 issue:

 

Heidi Klum, Elsa Benitez , Fernanda Tavares, Veronica Varekova,  Yamila Diaz-Rahi, Daniela Pestova, Lujan Fernandez, Molly Sims, Josie Maran, Noemie Lenoir, Petra Nemcova, ...

 

There is no way that Samantha gets within a million miles of getting into that issue.

 

 

The differences from then and now are profound and sad, even through the early 2010s the swimsuit issue was a big deal.  I still remember when Bar Refaeli's cover came out, that was huge, to the point they were advertising on the side of Southwest planes here in the US.

[Enrico_sw]

On 8/1/2020 at 7:10 PM, Bloodshot said:

 

I think you hit the nail on the head, trying to be woke has killed it.  From a male perspective, I have zero interest in a swimsuit issue filled with 50% overweight women, that's just NOT attractive.  Modeling to me is like pro sports, you don't get there based on participation, it's merit based.  As an athlete you actually have to be GOOD at your sport, you don't see a bunch of short overweight people playing in the NBA just to be inclusive.  Models are supposed to be beautiful and possibly "unobtainable", not average women that you see walking down the street every day.

 

Yep, I agree with you buddy. These magazines are here for dreams, in order to help people escape from the daily routine, just for a little while. Unfortunately, SISE decided that dreams aren't allowed anymore. 

 

 

[CandleVixen]

5 hours ago, Enrico_sw said:

 

 Sunshine. 
 

I guess we’ll find out if SISE gets renewed for another year later this year, in the fall?

[sixnevergiveup]

On 8/2/2020 at 1:10 AM, Bloodshot said:

 

I think you hit the nail on the head, trying to be woke has killed it.  From a male perspective, I have zero interest in a swimsuit issue filled with 50% overweight women, that's just NOT attractive.  Modeling to me is like pro sports, you don't get there based on participation, it's merit based.  As an athlete you actually have to be GOOD at your sport, you don't see a bunch of short overweight people playing in the NBA just to be inclusive.  Models are supposed to be beautiful and possibly "unobtainable", not average women that you see walking down the street every day.

agreeing absolutely..we just want beautiful models in a Swimsuit issue...is that too much to ask? lol

[CandleVixen]

23 minutes ago, sixnevergiveup said:

agreeing absolutely..we just want beautiful models in a Swimsuit issue...is that too much to ask? lol

Apparently, yes it is.

[Sensual]

But 50% of the women are not overweight.

[Bloodshot]

4 hours ago, Sensual said:

But 50% of the women are not overweight.

 

There are 33 "models" in this year's issue.  8 of them are fat or out of shape.  1 is bald.  1 is old as dirt.  1 is wearing a full body burqa.  1 is trans.  Sorry, but having more than 1/3 of the "models" be unattractive on some level is NOT what the core audience of the SI swimsuit issue is interested in.  This is supposed to be fantasy.  These are supposed to be some of the most beautiful women in the world.  This issue is broken and needs to die at this point.

[Sensual]

6 hours ago, Bloodshot said:

 

There are 33 "models" in this year's issue.  8 of them are fat or out of shape.  1 is bald.  1 is old as dirt.  1 is wearing a full body burqa.  1 is trans.  Sorry, but having more than 1/3 of the "models" be unattractive on some level is NOT what the core audience of the SI swimsuit issue is interested in.  This is supposed to be fantasy.  These are supposed to be some of the most beautiful women in the world.  This issue is broken and needs to die at this point.

I only count 3, I really wonder who you think are out of shape. If you going call the other ones out of shape, you gonna have to call people like Barbara Palvin and Lorena Duran fat. Get over yourself man.

[Bloodshot]

6 hours ago, Sensual said:

I only count 3, I really wonder who you think are out of shape. If you going call the other ones out of shape, you gonna have to call people like Barbara Palvin and Lorena Duran fat. Get over yourself man.

 

Maybe you need higher standards.  As others have pointed out also, the vast majority of these girls would never have even made the swimsuit issue 10 years ago.

[hauteheart]

Josephine is ROTY

https://sports.yahoo.com/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-names-josephine-232441798.html

[Weasel79]

9 hours ago, Bloodshot said:

 

Maybe you need higher standards.  As others have pointed out also, the vast majority of these girls would never have even made the swimsuit issue 10 years ago.

 

15 hours ago, Sensual said:

I only count 3, I really wonder who you think are out of shape. If you going call the other ones out of shape, you gonna have to call people like Barbara Palvin and Lorena Duran fat. Get over yourself man.

Barbara Palvin definitely isn't fat