A sultry swimsuit photoshoot netted Martha Stewart  a brand new Sports Illustrated record. What went    into that history-making moment? And what does  it have to do with Instagram thirst traps?  Fans of Martha Stewart are used to seeing  the Queen of Domestic Arts in her natural    habitat on the cover of her magazine, Martha  Stewart Living. But fans have never seen her    as she appears on her historical cover of  the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. 

At age 81, Martha Stewart became the Sports  Illustrated Swimsuit issue's oldest cover    model. The title was previously held by  Tesla CEO Elon Musk's mother, Maye Musk,    who appeared on the cover in 2022 at age 74. 

The fabulously photogenic cookbook author    traded her apron for swimwear to pose for  her cover shoot, rocking a white one-piece    with a plunging neckline and billowing  orange robe. Her usually sleek blond hair    was tousled — and there was nary a kitchen  utensil or pair of pruning shears in sight. 

Stewart was one of four cover models chosen for  this year's special edition of the magazine,    joining actress Megan Fox, seasoned SI  model Brooks Nader, and singer Kim Petras,    who made history as the first  transgender woman to win a Grammy. 

Speaking to SI, Stewart was cool and  composed about her historical photoshoot,    which took place in the Dominican Republic. "I thought, Oh, that's pretty good,  I'm going to be the oldest person I think  ever on a cover of Sports Illustrated."  However, she also made it clear that age is just  a number to her and not something she dwells on. 

When you can cook like Stewart can,  obviously you aren't going to want    to deprive yourself of all that  deliciousness just for a magazine,    but the kitchen virtuoso did admit to  tweaking her diet a bit. She told Today:  "I didn't starve myself, but I  didn't eat any bread or pasta    for a couple of months. I went  to pilates every other day."  The mogul added that she enjoyed the pilates so    much that she kept going every  other day even after the shoot. 

This is far from Stewart's first rodeo on a  photoshoot. In fact, before Martha Stewart    became a homemaking mogul, she made a living as  a model. In the PBS documentary "Makers," she    revealed that she started modeling when she was  a student at Barnard College in New York, saying:  "I got enough modeling jobs at $50 an hour  — which was a lot of money at that time."  In a 2020 interview with People, she revealed  that she decided to give modeling a shot at the    recommendation of the parents of a friend whose  daughter was a model. But her success didn't make    her feel like there was anything special  about the way she looked. She explained:  "I was so skinny and so perfect for modeling,  but I didn't know that I was beautiful. I was    not sexy, and I was not provocative. That  feeling never came. It still hasn't come."  However, she did say that posing  for photos came naturally to her,    a talent that's evident in those  Martha Stewart Living cover shots,    her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue  photos — and her thirst traps on Instagram. 

We can't help but wonder whether Martha  Stewart's mastery of the thirst trap helped    her earn that coveted spot on the cover of the  Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. In 2020,    she shared a photo of herself puckering up  poolside on Instagram, and her followers    absolutely loved the shot. But when Entertainment  Tonight asked her about it being a thirst trap,    Stewart hilariously responded  that she'd never heard of that    term. After it was explained to her,  though, she was in full agreement. 

"That's definitely a thirst trap."  Stewart nearly broke the internet  again in September 2022 by filming    a Green Mountain Coffee ad  wearing nothing but an apron,    and on "Today," she revealed that she was  invited to shoot with SI two months later. 

While Stewart's pool selfie looked pretty  effortless, a lot of work went into her Sports    Illustrated pictorial. According to the magazine,  she posed in 10 different bathing suits while    shooting. She also rocked a huge straw hat with an  extra-shady brim that could come in really handy    while gardening. She shared the cover on Instagram  with an inspirational message that read in part:  "I hope this cover inspires you to  challenge yourself to try new things,    no matter what stage of life you are in. Changing,    evolving, and being fearless — those  are all very good things, indeed."