Emily DiDonato Opens Up About Feeling Self-Conscious During 2013 SI Swimsuit Photo Shoot

The six-time SI Swimsuit Issue star got honest about her first feature with the brand.

Emily DiDonato.Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images

Emily DiDonato candidly revealed that even SI Swimsuit models sometimes feel less than their best. DiDonato made her magazine debut in 2013 and was featured for three consecutive years thereafter. She later returned to the SI Swimsuit Issue in back-to-back years in 2020 and ’21.

However, the 32-year-old model recently admitted on TikTok what was really going through her mind during her initial photo shoot in Namibia. DiDonato started by putting a photo up on the screen of herself modeling a bikini with gold chain detailing and thong bottoms.

“It was my first time wearing a thong bikini, and I could not get over the fact that people could see my butt,” she said with a laugh, adding that she’s a “one-piece girlie.”

DiDonato said she never had worn such a revealing swimsuit for a photo shoot before, which caused her to feel somewhat self-conscious. At the time, she was doing high-fashion covers for publications such as Vogue Paris (now Vogue France) and Vogue España.

“I remember it was really hard for me to be confident on this [photo] shoot because I had never really done a lot of bikini or lingerie shoots. … It was really hard for even me to see myself on camera in such little clothing and I just felt like, ‘Why do they want to shoot me? I’m not the bikini girl. I don’t have like six-pack abs, I’m not super thin, and my butt’s out,’” she stated.

In addition to being a model and a mom, DiDonato is also the co-founder of Covey, a clean, vegan and cruelty-free skin-care line. She applied several products from her brand as she spoke, including Next Up Vitamin C Serum ($59), Last But Not Least Moisturizer ($49) and Seal the Deal Lip Balm ($19).

Clearly DiDonato’s confidence skyrocketed, as she returned to the SI Swimsuit Issue five more times.

“I look back at those [SI Swimsuit] photos now, and I absolutely love them,” she gushed.

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