For the 2024 Paris Olympics, gymnast Jordan Chiles gave it her all with her “Golden Girls” team. With each vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise (with clips available through a Peacock subscription), she helped secure Team USA a gold medal. Even as Chiles wowed the world in the arena, the silver medalist, who used to think she was “ugly,” now talks about embracing her body as a swimsuit cover model for Sports Illustrated.
Competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics wasn’t easy for Jordan Chiles. Not only did Team USA have to compete against 11 other national teams, but the athlete got her bronze medal taken away after a scoring inquiry her coach submitted was overturned due to a missed deadline, reverting back to her original fifth-place position.
Despite her bronze medal setback, Jordan Chiles has thrived post-Olympics as she threw on a bikini to celebrate her “golden paradise.” But her bikini pic wouldn’t be the last time we see her in her beachy attire, as the 24-year-old embraced her body as a 2025 swimsuit cover model for Sports Illustrated. However, Chiles got real with People about how she used to see herself as “ugly” and the importance of loving her body:
I've embraced every single aspect of who I am and I've embraced the amazing body that I have. Because she was there when I would cry and be like, 'Mom, they're saying this. They're saying that.' Or I would look at myself in the mirror and call myself ugly almost every day. I think it was just really cool for her to know that I get this opportunity and that I get the ability to embrace who Jordan is.
On the front cover of Sports Illustrated, Jordan Chiles is wearing a brown halter-neck swimsuit from Bad N Bare. Other photos in the magazine feature the Olympic competitor sporting a chic turquoise one-piece and a golden bikini, perfectly capturing her athletic form.
The Oregon native told People she used to be self-conscious about her arms, saying that past coaches used to encourage her to eat 800 calories a day. However, she said each stylish tattoo on her arms helped her embrace them as she felt each design helped her “really tell my story.”
Being on the swimsuit cover of Sports Illustrated is a very big deal, especially for upcoming athletes. Getting featured in one of the most widely recognized magazine issues provides global visibility that can lead to many opportunities throughout your career. Not to mention, it’s a great way for a woman to celebrate their body and body positivity for the whole world to see.
Jordan Chiles is now among the growing ranks of other iconic women featured in SI's swimsuit issue, like when Megan Fox and Martha Stewart stunned the 2023 issue, and Salma Hayek looked radiant rocking a bikini on this year’s SI. People of all shapes, sizes, and ages can embrace their beauty and inspire body positivity for all age groups.
It looks like Jordan Chiles’ days of thinking of herself as “ugly” are over as she learned to embrace her body and become a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Chiles is not only a winner on the Olympic team, but a positive role model in teaching fans about the importance of loving your body and showing the world its beauty.
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