A C-Section Scar Is in the Pages of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit for the First Time Ever

THE BEAUTY OF BIRTHA C-Section Scar Is in the Pages of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit for the First Time EverModel Kelly Hughes tells Allure how her experiences with motherhood have impacted her career.

By Addison Aloian

May 11, 2022

• Facebook
• Email
• Pinterest

Fumie/Sports Illustrated

• Facebook
• Email
• Pinterest

Slowly but surely, the stigma around C-section births is being broken down day after day. For the first time ever, after 58 years, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has a model showing a C-section scar in its pages, which is an extremely exciting stepping stone for people who have experienced this type of birth to feel represented.

The founder and CEO of the parenting brand Frida Mom, Chelsea Hirschhorn, worked on and with the advisory board for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit to help put forth this genuine image of what birth and motherhood can look like — especially for those who haven't given birth in the "traditional" way. Along with the spread, the publication also just launched a C-section recovery line, looking to give people who have had C-sections a spotlight and let them know that they should be proud of their bodies for bringing a human life into the world.

Fumie/Sports Illustrated

Kelly Hughes, the model gracing the pages, admitted that although her C-section scar hasn't directly impacted her career, the insecurity that resulted from it did because her work revolves around her body. "It took time to heal physically and mentally and embrace all that I had gone through and the many changes to my body to find the strength in it," she tells Allure. "It wasn't until I embraced my scar that I experienced the power in it."

Fumie/Sports Illustrated

Hughes feels thankful for brands, such as Sports Illustrated and Frida Mom, that are normalizing people's body changes, especially post-pregnancy. "This was so much more than a photo shoot to me," she says. "There is an incredible shift happening in our society today with inclusivity. To be given this opportunity to tell my story, [I can] hopefully encourage women to be empowered."

It's exciting to think about how far society has come in embracing pregnancy and C-sections, especially through this Sports Illustrated Swimsuit spread, but there is definitely more ground to cover. 

More on health:

• Mom Shares Honest Photos of Her Belly Before and After a C-Section
• Halsey Shared 'Important,' Honest Photos of Their Body 3 Months After Giving Birth
• How Often Should I Go to the Ob-Gyn? Here’s What Experts Say

Now, see how pregnancy has evolved within the past 100 years:

*Don't forget to follow Allure on Instagram and Twitter.

Addison Aloian is a New York City-based lifestyle journalist. A soon-to-be graduate of New York University, she is obsessed with all things beauty, wellness, and pop culture. Her work has been published in StyleCaster, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, VMAN, Gotham Magazine, Ocean Drive, and others. When she's not researching the... Read moreContributor

• Instagram

KeywordsNewsSports IllustratedSports Illustrated Swimsuit Issuewellnessc-sectionpregnancy