Hunter McGrady Shot Her 2024 “SI Swimsuit” Cover 8 Months Postpartum: 'Want My Daughter to See This' (Exclusive)

The model tells PEOPLE all about landing her first cover with 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit,' and what it was like joining icons like Tyra Banks for the 60th anniversary legends shoot

Hunter McGrady is not the same person she was when she first posed for Sports Illustrated.

The model, 31, was 22 when she made her debut in the iconic Swimsuit Issue in 2017. In the seven years since, she’s gotten married, welcomed two children — a son and a daughter — and done a whole lot of self-work. Now, McGrady is celebrating her very first Sports Illustrated cover.

For the magazine’s 60th anniversary issue, she appears on one of four solo covers (her fellow cover stars are Chrissy Teigen, Gayle King and Kate Upton) and poses alongside icons like Tyra Banks and Christie Brinkley for a trio of collectible Legends covers.

“It was such a surreal moment,” McGrady tells PEOPLE of shooting with modeling industry greats. “I automatically thought back to little me and what that would mean to me, seeing somebody like me on the cover of any magazine, let alone Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. It's huge.”

Of all the legends she worked with on the shoot, McGrady calls out Banks as one of the most impactful on her as a model.

“I have met Tyra before, but your heart never stops sinking when you meet Tyra,” she says. “I grew up with her being that person on my television who was the ultimate model.”

Related: Hunter McGrady Opens Up About Her Postpartum Body in Candid Post: 'I Feel So Grateful'

McGrady recalls a special moment on set when she was getting her hair done while seated next to the former America’s Next Top Model host.

“My hair girl said, ‘How did you learn to pose? I was watching you pose and how did you learn that?’” McGrady shares. “And Tyra Banks was sitting next to me getting her hair and makeup done, and I'm like, ‘“Well, my mom, because she was a model, but also Tyra Banks, right there.’”

Banks and the rest of the Legends cover stars haven’t only impacted McGrady because of their beauty and skills in front of a camera.

“What I love about this entire class of women is that modeling, and them being beautiful women, is the least cool thing about them,” she says. “They all bring so much to the table. They are all moguls and have businesses and are so inspirational and it just felt very fulfilling to be in a room full of women like that.”

McGrady is also taking stock of her own achievements — both personal and professional — since making her Sports Illustrated debut. She recalls her first meeting with MJ Day, the editor-in-chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, just four months after moving to New York City.

“She asked me to come in on a whim,” McGrady says. “I was wearing leggings and a little sweater and tennis shoes, not what I would've ever imagined to go into a meeting with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit wearing.”

The model was offered a spot in the magazine, marking a turning point in her career.

Related: Hunter McGrady Says 'Society' Viewed Her Body as Too 'Unhealthy' for Pregnancy: 'I Was So Nervous'

“The moment the issue dropped, my life changed in drastic ways,” McGrady says. “I was given this platform and this responsibility, and I remember thinking, ‘Okay. This is a blessing. This is a huge, huge gift. Do with it what you will, but do it wisely.’ Ever since then, and every year I've been back, I've felt a little bit more like, ‘Okay, I feel even more confident, and I feel like I'm really growing as a woman.’”

McGrady adds that now, she feels more beautiful than ever — and her role as a mother is a huge part of that.

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“I was just about eight and a half months postpartum when I shot this cover,” McGrady says (she welcomed her daughter in March 2023. Her son was born in June 2021). “And I was just like, ‘I want my daughter to see this one day. I want the next generation to see this. I want our generation to see this.’”

She continues, “My body's not what it was when I was 22. It's very different when you have kids. I have tons more stretch marks and things are a lot softer and there's a lot more cellulite, but that's okay.”

McGrady’s priorities have shifted, but her dedication to showcasing her body no matter what stage it’s in is why her partnership with Sports Illustrated just makes sense.

“They're changing the game,” she says. “... [MJ] is taking a chance and she is doing the work, and to do the work, you have to get a bit uncomfortable to make change, right? History shows that. We’ve got to get uncomfortable and step into that in order for the pendulum to swing.”

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 60th Anniversary issue hits newsstands on Friday, May 17.

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