When she posed for the 2018 SI Swimsuit Issue in Aruba, Paige Spiranac was going through a transitional period in her life. The former pro golfer was transitioning her career to full-time content creation, and noted that her photoshoot experience was an incredibly emotional one.
“Doing that [photo]shoot was incredibly empowering,” she told SI Swimsuit earlier this year. “Having MJ [Day, SI Swimsuit editor in chief chief] there to talk me through it the entire time and build me up, I’ve never been in an environment where I’ve had so many women empower me and lift me up, which is something that we preach all the time, but you don’t really see it in real life.”
The 30-year-old media personality posed on the beach and in the desert, donning a number of black strappy bikinis for her feature with photographer James Macari. And five years later, she still looks back on the experience fondly.
“It was the most confident and powerful and empowered that I have ever felt, and I carry that now,” Spiranac said. “Whatever I do, that’s a big part of me and a badge that I’ll hold forever, being a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.”
Today, Spiranac continues to create content across her social media channels, where she more than five million combined followers across Instagram and TikTok alone. She shares instructional golf content and exclusive photos on her subscription-only platform, OnlyPaige, which she launched in January.
Below are eight of our favorite photos from Spiranac’s SI Swimsuit photoshoot in Aruba that perfectly encapsulate her unwavering confidence.
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