LOOK: Martha Stewart becomes oldest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model at 81

Martha Stewart made history as the oldest swimsuit model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

In her interview with the magazine, the 81-year-old author talked about her feat as she expressed her hope to be an inspiration to other women with the now-trending cover. “Usually, I’m motivated by pay. But this time, I was motivated by showing people that a woman my age could still look good, feel good, be good,” she said. 

While she doesn’t think about age “very much,” Stewart acknowledged that her feat is a historic one. "I don't think about age very much but I thought that this is kind of historic, and I better look really good because I want other women to feel that they could also be on the cover of Sports Illustrated." 

Stewart, in a conversation on the TODAY show, confessed she was “shaking” before her swimsuit photoshoot set in the Dominican Republic was unveiled. “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, and it turned out okay,” she opened up. 

It may have been “challenging” for the television personality to take part in such photoshoot, but she found it “fun” after all. “For me, it’s a testament to good living and I think that all of us should think about good, successful living and not aging.” 

In a statement provided to Yahoo! Life, MJ Day, the Editor-in-Chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, highlighted how the magazine continues to “showcase the women of today, the women shaping the future” even as the “industry wavers on its arbitrary notion of beauty.” 

"Martha Stewart is a legend. The definition of a great female entrepreneur who built a dynasty against insurmountable odds,” added Day. 

With this, Stewart dethrones Maye Musk—the mom of business magnate Elon Musk—who graced the same cover at 74 years old in 2022.