For years, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has been like the holy grail for beautiful women. The women that have graced the cover have all been beautiful including Tyra Banks (she was the first Black woman), Serena Williams and Beyonce. This year, the magazine launched its first-ever open casting call, inviting women of all shapes and sizes to audition for the chance to become a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and appear on the coveted cover. More than 5,000 women responded, submitting videos on Instagram using the hashtag #SISwimSearch, each of them showcasing their own unique personality and background.
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The six finalists -- Allie Ayers, Iyonna Fairbanks, Olivia Jordan, Haley Kalil, Camille Kostek and Tabria Majors – range from a former NFL cheerleader, beauty pageant winners, a security guard, a podcast host and an award-winning scientific researcher. All six women will appear in the 2018 issue, and one winner will be selected as an SI Swimsuit 2019 rookie.
But there is one particular finalist who isn't shaped like the rest and is trying to represent for the real, curvy and thick women out there: Tabria Majors.
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Majors is a stunning 28-year-old Nashville, Tennessee native. The 5-foot-10 218 pound beauty said one of her goals is to land a magazine cover to showcase “under represented” women in the industry.
“I would love to see more women who look like me in Sports Illustrated, a woman of color with these big hips and this not-so-flat stomach, and all this stuff going on back here,” she said in her brief video. “I would love to serve as a role model to young girls to show them they can do anything they put their mind to. I’ve only been modeling for two years, but I’m submitting anyway because I think I have a shot.”
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The daughter of former Glencliff High and Middle Tennessee State star offensive lineman Tracy Majors became wildly popular after quitting her job two years ago with a production company to become a fashion model.
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But her road to modeling stardom hasn't always been a smooth one. She has her share of haters that try to criticize and shame her size and voluptuous body.
Now Majors splits time between apartments in New York and L.A., currently has deals with Walmart, Target, Nike, Kohl's, Forever 21, Fashion Nova, Charlotte Rouse, Ashley Stewart, Arianna Pappell and several other clothing lines.
“Landing the cover of any magazine would be amazing, but more importantly it’s about expanding diversity within...
... the fashion industry because I want to continue to represent those women who have been under represented," said Majors, who hosts a podcast called "The Thick."
The Thick, is a podcast series that revels in the comical banter between the dynamic duo, Tabria and Mindy. It focuses on making light of the challenges in dating and work life, and also provides health, fashion, and beauty tips from the perspectives of a Plus Size, Super Model in the making and a professional career oriented woman.
"Sports Illustrated was on the forefront using models of a diverse size range and I would argue that they are one of main reasons it's gotten so popular and accepted now," Majors said. "But, I still think we can do better as a society. It's still really difficult for me to find clothing in stores — I pretty much shop exclusively online."
To find out more about Tabria, check her out on social media, here.
