"Mom, I made history!": Cree model stuns in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut (PHOTOS)
“Mom, I made history!”
Ashley Callingbull took to Instagram Monday afternoon to celebrate the launch of this year’s Sports Illustrated (SI) Swimsuit Edition, where she is the first-ever Indigenous woman to grace the issue’s pages.
“It’s launch day!!! I’m officially in @si_swimsuit 🥺✨” the model wrote in her caption. “My heart is beaming with pride!”
View this post on Instagram
Callingbull’s journey to this momentous day started on March 1, when she received a call to participate in the annual “Swim Search” photoshoot in the Dominican Republic.
“As a little native girl, I didn’t have dreams like this,” she told Daily Hive back in March. “I was just so happy because that little girl who didn’t feel beautiful… that little girl who was just shamed for being Native…now, I see the growth, I see who I’ve become.”
Out of thousands of submissions, Callingbull was one of the 13 inspiring women who were called on to be featured in the issue. There were a diverse array of models chosen including an ICU nurse, a breast cancer survivor, and a NASA physicist.
“This is a huge moment for Indigenous women because now the door is open for others to walk through and own this space,” said Callingbull, who is from the Enoch Cree Nation located west of Edmonton, in an Instagram caption.
View this post on Instagram
The spread shows stunning photos of the Cree model on the sandy beaches of Punta Cana in gorgeous swimsuits that she chose herself.
Here are some more shots from the photoshoot.
- You might also like:
- "It's about damn time": Cree model becomes first Indigenous woman in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
- New Nike campaign features Cree model from Canada
Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Find Callingbull’s full Sports Illustrated spread here.