Lauren Chan hails Sports Illustrated as a 'beacon of inspiration'

Perth Now

15-05-2025

Lauren Chan thinks the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has become a "beacon of inspiration".
The brunette beauty - who is the founder of the plus-size clothing brand Henning - features in the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and Lauren feels proud to be associated with the magazine.
Lauren told Sports Illustrated: "The shift is clear: The intention of SI Swimsuit today is to celebrate women as 360-degree people while exemplifying what we can accomplish and spotlighting underrepresented communities. Most importantly, this brand is now a beacon of inspiration - a repossession of agency for the multitude of women who are able to see themselves reflected in the pages.
"This has become especially pronounced in the last decade or so. Under editor in chief MJ Day, the SI Swimsuit staff - especially at the highest levels - is almost exclusively made up of women, and they have made a habit of breaking barriers in media."
Lauren loves that Sports Illustrated has changed beauty norms in recent years.
The 34-year-old model said: "In 2017 Swim Search was introduced, giving countless women the opportunity to become part of the SI Swimsuit brand; five years later Pay With Change, a gender-equity advertising initiative, was launched. The staff's efforts are perhaps most apparent in the headline-making diversity of their covers.
"Before 2014, only one Pacific Islander, three black and eight Latina models had graced the cover; since then, more than 40 percent of cover stars have broken the beauty ideal with diversity across race, size, gender and age.
"The kicker? All of that work to rebrand the institution is, in turn, changing SI Swimsuit's audience. The current stats: Women now make up 60 percent of followers on social media and female readership has increased nearly 40 percent in recent years.
"And the fandom did not disappoint when addressing the troll in my comment section. My favourite clapback: 'A woman's body existing for anything other than a man's pleasure??? Unbelievable!' More earnestly, one said, 'In this diversity I feel represented - finally - and it feels like freedom.'"