Martha Stewart’s Sports Illustrated cover photo shoot took the internet by storm in May 2023. Besides Brooks Nader, Megan Fox, and Kim Petras, Martha appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. It is how she became the oldest model to appear on the SI magazine cover—the photoshoot aimed at depicting the boundaryless lives of these women.
Martha Helen Stewart is an American television personality, writer, and retail businesswoman. She founded the merchandising company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which specializes in home and hospitality.
Martha posed in ten swimsuits for the Sports Illustrated photoshoot. She escaped her comfort zone after getting requested for the photoshoot because she was supposed to be on the cover page at this age. However, she thinks that she met the challenge.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is an annual American magazine featuring female athletes, fashion models, and celebrities wearing swimming wear at various international locations.
Martha Stewart’s Before And After
Some internet users spotted a change in Martha’s lips and accused her of undergoing plastic surgery before the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition photoshoot. Her cheeks looked plumper and younger compared to her older photos. Wrinkles, under-eye bags, and saggy skin on the neck were expected on an eighty-one-year-old.
On 29 January 2023, Martha shared her alleged unfiltered photos on Instagram clicked at a salon, which portrayed her leaning against the salon sink.
Martha’s lifted eyebrows, luxurious eyelashes, and smooth and wrinkle-free skin at eighty-one were a catch in the photos. She stated that the photos were unfiltered with no facelift and thanked facial exercises and her ‘derma’ for giving her smooth skin over the last forty years.
Some followers could not buy what she was selling. They could not believe how an eighty-one-year-old looked like a fifty-two-year-old without plastic surgery. Coming to her Sports Illustrated photoshoot, some people alleged that Martha’s photos were overly retouched, while some accused her of having surgery.
Chicago Aesthetic Surgery Institute shared her before and after photo on Facebook and appreciated her for proving that age is just a number. However, Facebook users believe her statements. They strongly believe she had a facelift, rhinoplasty, neck lift, brow lift, and eyelid surgery.
Some fans are happy with her personal decision, while some do not appreciate her efforts to look young instead of aging naturally. Meanwhile, some internet users are sad not because she had various surgeries but because she did not accept it publicly.
Martha’s Reaction to the Allegations
After several allegations on social media, Martha opened up about her fillers, Botox, and plastic surgery, saying she did not go under the knife. However, she admitted to preparing before the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue photoshoot. She had many regular facials, a full body wax, and a spray tan.
Moreover, Martha has a healthy and controlled diet. She eliminated bread, alcohol, and pasta and did a Pilates workout three times a week for the photoshoot, according to her statement to ‘Today.’ She wears a sunblock and hat in the sun and takes vitamins and green juice every day. According to her, she has healthy hair, and her skin doctors contribute a lot to her beauty.
Martha reportedly hates Botox and uses certain fillers occasionally. For instance, she had Juvéderm filler after getting a dog bite on her lip. According to The Loop, she spent $33 a day only on skincare in 2020.
She denied getting her photos retouched. She was glad that they were accurate. In 2021, she stated that living in the moment before the camera and presence of mind makes her glow compared to cosmetic products and filters on The Drew Barrymore Show.
According to Martha’s interview with TODAY, she might have physical defects compared to an ‘ideal’ woman, but she loves her skin, legs, and body.
Some people praised her good looks, while some criticized her lips. Martha knows she is aging, and people notice it. However, she admitted to having facials and expensive cosmetic products. According to an aging activist, Ashton Applewhite, eighty-one is not young. So, trying to look young at this age is age denial.
