NEW YORK: The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue announced Thursday that going forward, it will only feature ads from brands that show a commitment to supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment, as it continues to try and cast off its decades-old reputation as a sexy swimwear magazine.
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which made its debut 58 years ago Thursday, in SI’s Jan. 20, 1964, issue, declared that “Pay With Change” is a gender equity advertising initiative that will turn the SI Swimsuit franchise into a “platform for change”.
Starting now, the annual Swimsuit Issue and SI Swim’s digital outlets will accept advertising only from companies with demonstrated programs to advance gender equality and drive progress for women’s empowerment.
Here’s how it works: Advertising partners who demonstrate how they are creating change for women will be certified as Changemakers. Those Changemaker sponsors will be asked to create ads for the Swimsuit issue and Swimsuit.SI.com that showcase those efforts. Additionally, SI Swimsuit will invest a portion of every ad dollar generated by the annual magazine issue to create the Sports Illustrated Gender Equity Fund. The fund will support a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an equitable future for all women.
“Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has been leading the charge in creating change in women’s lives for years,” says MJ Day, editor-in-chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. “But we knew we needed to be even bolder. Pay with Change is not just a platform to us; it is our commitment to creating greater progress for women.”
“Pay With Change will be our new standard of business moving forward,” adds Hillary Drezner, general manager of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. “It’s our proof of progress, proof of passion and proof of our belief that we must be the change we want to see.”
Along with Pay With Change, SI Swimsuit is launching The Swimfluence Network, an inclusive digital community for people looking to connect, learn and champion change for the next generation. The Swimfluence Network app features content focused on health, wellness, lifestyle, fashion, travel and food and lets users create a profile, join live events and engage with the Swimfluence community, SI Swimsuit models and staff. The app is also home to the Swim Search platform, letting SI Swimsuit hopefuls from around the world apply to be in the 2022 issue.
