Sports Illustrated has strayed from the woke path it has taken with its more recent swimsuit editions by featuring social media model and NCAA athlete Olivia Dunne this year and taking a break from the overweight, transgender, and senior citizen covers it has been imposing on magazine readers everywhere over the last few years.
Dunne, of course, is the 20-year-old gymnast from Louisiana State University who became an instant multi-millionaire by taking full advantage of the many endorsement deals she has been able to sign after college sports ended NIL prohibitions on deals for athletes’ names, images, and likenesses.
She is also an actual woman.
“Usually being a D1 athlete, an all-academic and an industrious entrepreneur is enough to garner respect and accolades,” Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day said in an announcement of Dunne’s inclusion in the magazine.
“At first glance, Olivia Dunne is the quintessential girl next door—imminently approachable with her bright hazel eyes, shiny blond locks, petite 5′ 6″ frame and beaming smile,” the announcement added. “It’s part of what has attracted an impressive 11 million followers across her TikTok and Instagram handles, but don’t be fooled. The LSU gymnast, who is the top paid female collegiate athlete in the country, is much more than her social media and she’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind.”
Indeed, Dunne has become a primary target of the woke sports media filled with detractors who are furious that Dunne is trading on her beauty and sexual allure as much as on her athleticism.
This is all quite a departure from Sports Illustrated’s recent covers that celebrated a transgender model:
An overweight plus-sized model and later even a morbidly obese model:
And Elon Musk’s 74-year-old mother:
It remains to be seen if the nearly 70-year-old magazine has permanently left the woke path, but this year’s swimsuit edition is a step in that direction.
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