Curvy Model Myla Dalbesio Named a ‘Sports Illustrated’ Swimsuit Issue Rookie of the Year
Myla Dalbesio is carving out a place for herself in the modeling industry. In 2014 she became the first curvy model to land a Calvin Klein underwear campaign, and now she’s been named one of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue’s rookies of the year.
A size 8-10, Dalbesio is what the industry calls an “in-betweener,” as she’s not small enough to be considered sample size and not large enough to fit into the plus-size category. But it seems the sexy brunette has finally found her place in the fashion world. “I’ve been included as a rookie for this years issue of @si_swimsuit!,” Dalbesio captioned an Instagram photo of herself lying on the beach in just bikini bottoms. “This has been a goal of mine for a decade, and I am so proud to have gotten here,” she gushed.
“I hope that this can be an example for other women to continue to stand strong in their convictions and not be afraid to use their voice,” she continued, calling out the industry’s obsession with social media numbers and pointing out that, as usual, her numbers aren’t exactly where this industry would want them to be. “And for girls in the industry, I hope this is reassurance that you don’t need to have 1 million followers to be noticed. You can still be judged by the quality of work you do and the person you are. Which, I think, is something to celebrate.”
Delbesio does have 48.5K followers on Instagram alone. But once you look at her posted images, it becomes clear that this woman was most definitely selected because of her skill, not social media presence.
We couldn’t be happier that Sports Illustrated is continuing to include women of all shapes and sizes in its Swimsuit Issue. Last year, Ashley Graham was named a rookie of the year and became the first ever plus-size model to cover the issue. Another plus-size model, Robyn Lawley, was a rookie of the year in 2015.
Keep up the good work, Sports Illustrated!
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