2023 SI Swimsuit Model Padma Lakshmi Takes a Stand Against Body Shaming Trolls

The TV host and best-selling author was named one of ‘The Most 100 Influential People of 2023’ by ‘TIME.’
Padma Lakshmi

Padma Lakshmi.


Padma Lakshmi is a force to be reckoned with. The TV personality, New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist and mom is also SI Swimsuit’s newest model

Though she’s earned her success along the way, even Lakshmi, 52, faces negative commentary from the occasional internet troll. Lakshmi was included in TIME’s “The Most 100 Influential People of 2023” list, and spoke to Page Six about dealing with negative feedback at last week’s TIME100 Gala. She recently shared a photo of herself eating pasta in the bathtub that particularly garnered nasty comments.

“You know, when you put yourself out there on an open public forum, you have to expect all kinds of reactions,” the Love, Loss, and What We Ate author stated. “I have boobs, I have nipples, so does every woman and man on the planet, I’m sorry. And I think, you know, we should just be a little bit more grown up about it and also just accept that a woman’s body is beautiful.”

Lakshmi went on to share that she feels more comfortable in her skin now that she’s in her 50s than she did in her 20s, a concept she discussed further in her interview with SI Swimsuit.

“It’s because of my experiences, my learning and just being out in the world,” she stated. “People are more interesting as they become who they’re going to be as they age. I feel more beautiful now than I did when I was a model in my 20s. I probably looked more beautiful then, but I feel much more beautiful now.”

Meet Padma Lakshmi—read the 2023 SI Swimsuit model’s full feature profile here.

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Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.