Ahead of the rebooted Baywatch premiere, Pamela Anderson’s iconic red one-piece is getting a modern-day makeover. And while the flattering shape and bright color are all about the same, it’s the women modeling the suit for Swimsuits For All that really inject newness into the classic piece. Model Ashley Graham is joined by Teyana Taylor (rapper, dancer, and Kanye West muse) and model Niki Taylor for a beach-themed photo shoot showing off the “Lifeguard Swimsuit,” which retails for $58 and is available in sizes 4 to 22.
While Graham, an ambassador and guest designer for the swimwear brand, has been posing for the company frequently in bikinis and other styles, it’s been more than a decade since Niki, a top model in the ’90s, has done so.
In fact, Niki, who posed for Sports Illustrated among lots of other major publications, told People that she hadn’t posed in a swimsuit since the ’90s before this campaign. “I was a bit nervous. But my life was always being outside and I live for the beach,” she said.
Since the 42-year-old’s 2001 car accident, which left her in a coma for six weeks and required more than 50 procedures and extensive physical therapy, she’s been focused on her family, health, and charity work. “I’ve had four children, taken time off, and had some pretty major surgery … so it was never something I was thinking about, but then I thought … ‘Why not?’ And I have to tell you, it was great.”
And the model, who called the shoot “surreal,” might even consider posing in swimwear again. She added, “Especially when you remember being a little girl, seeing Sports Illustrated magazines and saying, ‘Wow these ladies are beautiful!’ Being as though I’m posing alongside two previous SI issue models, my next stop just might be SI!”
