Kathy Jacobs has proudly become the "oldest and shortest" <a href="https://swimsuit.si.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sports Illustrated Swimsuit</a> rookie in the brand’s history. The stunning 57-year-old kick-started her Sports Illustrated swimsuit career last year and it's safe to say she's living her best life. Jacobs, who was a petite model in the 80s, came to an open casting call for the uber-famous magazine last year, and went on to make her debut as part of the 2020 model search, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-model-kathy-jacobs-57-oldest-rookie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>. After posing up a storm, Jacobs is set to be part of this year’s sizzling issue, which will hit newsstands on July 19. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SI_Swimsuit/status/1298753534175969281]]  [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CRJ9iPYnlbU/]] Sports Illustrated editor MJ Day said: "There has never been a more prolific team player than Kathy! She is constantly making time for others while forging her own career. "She is a living proof that we need to stop putting limits on ourselves and celebrate the non-traditional ways we can reach our goals and push ourselves. She wholeheartedly stands for what SI Swimsuit represents and we are thrilled she feels empowered to share her message with us." WHat's more, Day says that Jacobs has "championed the fight against ageism" in addition to lifting up women around her. Jacobs says that empowering women is a large part of what she stands for. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CMhX2J0JbJG/]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SI_Swimsuit/status/1275187127672856580]]  "Beauty means different things to me. I’ll be 57. There’s tons of things about my body I struggle to love," the latest rookie said in her introduction video. "There’s no wrong way to age, there’s no right way to age. There’s no handbook. And I think that if you want to put other women down, then you’re the problem too. We need to judge each other less because I think everybody has their own definition of beauty." Jacobs has her own Instagram account where she goes by the handle @ageisbeauty, and often explains her philosophy around aging. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CNv2Iuylaex/]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SI_Swimsuit/status/1265009794907283456]]  "You can get Botox, fillers, plastic surgery, lasers, color your hair etc. and that’s fine! You can do nothing and that’s fine! You can be somewhere in the middle and that’s fine too!" she wrote on social media. "I have in the past judged others and now make a conscious effort not to! You can’t too!! Cause you know what... it aint my business!!" Speaking to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-model-kathy-jacobs-57-oldest-rookie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> on Saturday, July 10, Jacobs opened up about what it means to be the "oldest rookie" in the game, saying: "Life doesn’t have to stop when you age." [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CLqQLfCn8BZ/]] "I feel like it’s a stamp of approval not just for me, but for all the women my age out there," Jacobs said. "Being able to represent a lady in my age range is such a huge honor. At our age, we don’t have to hide. I’m honestly so grateful that they let me be in the same magazine with girls who are younger than me, even younger than my own daughter. And yet no one bats an eyelash. You’re treated like everybody else." "Life doesn’t stop when you become a certain age. Everyone’s so terrified about getting older," she went on. "I’ve had so many younger girls message me and say, 'Thank you so much for doing this because I’m not terrified of getting older anymore. I know my life is not going to end once I reach 30, 40, 50 or 60.' Being in this magazine is really a ripple effect. It allows people my age to feel beautiful, to feel sexy. It gives us that stamp of approval to feel beautiful and sexy," she added. <h6>Featured image credit: Storms Media Group / Alamy</h6>

Woman becomes Sports Illustrated's oldest model after kickstarting her career aged 57

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