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These Women Are Making A Powerful Point About Body Diversity

'It's scary to get in a bathing suit and put it on the internet but f@ck it!'
A different kind of model selfie.
jennmaitland/Instagram
A different kind of model selfie.

In case you missed it, the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue debuted this week ticketing itself as its most diverse edition yet, but perhaps what's even more notable is the buzz unfolding on social media from models, mums and everyday women embracing their bodies, filter-free.

Australian model Robyn Lawley who features in the issue was one of the first to promote the 'What I Model' campaign, which according to Sports Illustrated editor MJ Day is about celebrating beauty in all its forms while asking women what they model in life.

Suited up and holding daughter Ripley, Lawley explained she models creativity.

"Because when I couldn't find a swimsuit to fit me, I decided to design my own.. and design swimsuits for curvy girls," the 27-year-old said.

Day, who has produced the annual swim edition for the past 19 years launched the campaign on Thursday by posting a message with her two-year-old son to her personal Instagram account.

"I model determination," she explained.

"I'm determined to get out the message that there's not a singular definition of beauty," Day said.

Other women supporting the campaign include models Nina Agdal, Rose Bertram and Jennifer Maitland.

"It's scary to get in a bathing suit and put it on the internet but F@ck it!," Maitland wrote.

For a magazine that's typically filled with beautiful re-touched models and athletes with little to no body fat, this comes as a breath of fresh air.

Here's hoping the rest of the industry takes note and that it won't be the annual issue alone that we see this kind of representation in the pages of Sports Illustrated.

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