By now, millions have flipped through one of the most highly anticipated publications of the year: the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. This year’s edition is much like those of its famed predecessors – pages of striking beauties modeling the skimpiest of bikinis in remote tropical locales.
But there’s something different about this year’s issue. It marks the official debut of “Athletes in Body Paint.” Body painting is one of the magazine’s time honored traditions of painting an incredibly realistic looking bikini onto a model’s naked body. I’ll admit; it’s pretty remarkable workmanship. But this year, instead of using professional models as canvases, three female athletes were used instead.
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