Martha Stewart Talks Getting in Shape for Sports Illustrated Cover: “I’m Now an Avid Pilates Fan”

Tim Chan
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Martha Stewart is getting candid about her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover, telling fans at an appearance Monday that she wants to continue to push herself to try and do new things.


The lifestyle icon and entrepreneur was the keynote speaker at PROJECT and Magic Las Vegas, the biannual fashion event for buyers and press, hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Speaking at an early morning panel Monday, Stewart says she’s been touched by the reaction to the cover, which made the 82-year-old the oldest person to pose for the magazine.

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“The response to it was really encouraging because it made women of all ages feel like, ‘If she can do it, then I can do it too,'” Stewart said, adding that she felt like people resonated with the cover because it was “authentic.”


Shot by Ruven Afanador, Stewart says she posed for the photos at a friend’s house in the Dominican Republic and made sure to be surrounded by friends who made her feel comfortable. Still, the shoot wasn’t without some challenges. “I [only] had two months to get ready,” Stewart quipped. “So let’s just say I’m now an avid pilates fan.”


When pressed on her own reaction to the cover, the lifestyle guru says she liked “most” of the photos in the spread, except for one: “I didn’t like the red bathing suit [photos] so much,” she confessed. “They were just OK.”


As for one thing you won’t catch her wearing (or not wearing), Stewart said, “Bare midriff. I can’t do that anymore and no amount of pilates can help me with that.”


The Sports Illustrated cover — and the accompanying photos — quickly went viral on social media, and while Stewart admits she often reads the comments on her feed, she’s also aware of when not to comment or chirp back. “Instagram is a very good tool for promoting your brand,” she told the crowd, “but I have to remember to always show restraint on social media; you can never really say what you want to say.”


Ever the consummate businesswoman, Stewart is currently working on her 100th book, a cookbook of her 100 favorite recipes, due out this fall. The restaurateur also just celebrated the one-year anniversary of her restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart at Paris Las Vegas, and she continues to promote her shoe collaboration with Skechers. Similar to her swimsuit cover, each of the endeavors has sparked a different part of her creativity, Stewart explained, adding that she’s feeling more prolific and confident than ever.


“I don’t think of reinvention as much as I think of evolution,” she told the crowd, as a parting word of advice. “I want to evolve and get better and not stay the same.”

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