At 56 years old, Kathy Jacobs is now a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model.
Jacobs, only 5-foot-3-inches, aims to challenge traditional beauty standards.
Kathy Jacobs walking the 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show - Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
In an interview with the Associated Press, Jacobs commended Sports Illustrated for not counting her out because of her height and age: “I’m just like so grateful that they took like a chance on me,” said Jacobs. ”Two things you can’t change about yourself are how old you are and how tall you are.”
The cover of the 2020 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, which comes out online and on newsstands on Tuesday, features Olivia Culpo, Jasmine Sanders and Kate Bock, who have each appeared on covers individually.
Sports Illustrated has elevated models such as Kathy Ireland, Christie Brinkley, Elle Macpherson, Kate Upton and Ashley Graham.
The magazine has featured plus-sized models, amputee models, transgender models, and older models in the effort to promote inclusivity.
Kathy Jacobs walking the 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show - Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
“That’s the great thing about Sports Illustrated is they just keep reinventing themselves and they keep reinventing what is your view of beauty,” said Jacobs. “And they keep showing people that there’s more than one kind of beauty out there.”
