Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue welcomes its ‘first out lesbian cover star’
Canadian model Lauren Chan attends Sport Illustrated swimsuit 2024 issue release (KENA BETANCUR / AFP)
Canadian model Lauren Chan attends Sport Illustrated swimsuit 2024 issue release (KENA BETANCUR / AFP)
Model Lauren Chan has celebrated being the “first out lesbian” to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue.
The model appears on the front of the magazine due out on Saturday (17 May). She is one of four cover stars, the others being actor Salma Hayek, gymnast Jordan Chiles and influencer Livvy Dunne.
Chan made her Sports Illustrated debut in 2023, becoming the first queer plus-size model to appear in the magazine.
Speaking to People after her new cover-shot was unveiled, she said: “My whole career has been based on representation and inclusion, first for folks of size with my time as a plus-size model and fashion editor and plus-size brand founder,” a reference to her clothing brand, Henning.
“Then, once I started my journey with swimsuit, it has become a lot about LGBTQ folks and the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community, because I believe I’m also the first Chinese person on the cover of swimsuit.
“So, although my career has taken different forms, the same North Star has been followed, and that is to represent people like me who have felt marginalised and left out, to have them feel not just included but celebrated.”
Chan appears on the cover in a green bikini by the plus-size inclusive brand, Cult Gaia. Inside, she is seen wearing mostly white swimsuits, which she said had a “bridal feel” – a nod to her engagement to film director Hayley Kosan.
She also touched on freeing herself from the male gaze. “I would never look at a woman and think that because she doesn’t meet some bull***t standard of beauty, she’s unattractive.
“And when I flip that logic on myself, I feel such a relief. I’m really excited to share that sentiment with folks, whether they’re queer or not.”
Chan came out publicly as a lesbian in 2023, after divorcing her husband. At thew time, She wrote in she said: “Because I identified as straight until recently, most people I’ve privately come out to have been surprised at this change in my sexuality. First and foremost: me.”
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