Culinary icon and lifestyle guru Martha Stewart has made history at age 81 as the first elderly person to pose for the front cover of the swimsuit magazine Sports Illustrated.
Gushing about her experience on the ‘TODAY’ show, Stewart opened up about how she at first felt she wasn’t the right person to pose for the cover, but then chose to do it with confidence:
“I like that picture,” Stewart said with a giggle on TODAY. “I’m sort of shaking because it’s odd to go to an island and then get changed into nine different bathing suits in one day in front of all those people … it turned out OK.”
“You know, that was kind of a request I have never had before,“ the food writer chuckled. “And to be on the cover at my age was a challenge. I think I met the challenge.”
In a statement, MJ Day, the editor in chief of Sports Illustrated, said that women like Martha Stewart were legends who had forged their own career, so it was important to have her as representation of the type of women shaping the future:
“Martha Stewart is a legend. The definition of a great female entrepreneur who built a dynasty against insurmountable odds. While the industry wavers on its arbitrary notion of beauty, our issue has stayed the course, showcasing the women of today, the women shaping the future. This year, we’re featuring an extremely diverse group of women starting with our cover models, who are collectively the most unapologetic women from different walks of life who continue to forge their own paths on their own terms.”
