Jodi Harrison-Bauer is a mom on a mission to become the oldest woman ever selected from an open casting call to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
The 58-year-old Connecticut gym owner attended the mag’s open casting call at Miami Swim Week, where she walked alongside other bikini-clad hopefuls who were half her age.
“Whether I’m chosen or not. I’m doing this as another way to share who I am and encourage others along the way that it’s not too late to try something new,” she told the New Haven Register.
“I’m 58 and I’ve never felt so confident in myself. I want to get my message out to all ages, but especially women over 50, to ignore expectations by being bold and stepping out of your comfort zone.”
Harrison-Bauer, who has two adult children, began competing in fitness shows in her 40s, becoming a two-tine World Fitness American and World Fitness Universe champion along the way, according to the New York Post.
As owner of Jodifit fitness studio in Branford, Connecticut, she’s still an exercise fiend who does 10 hours of weekly resistance training in addition to weightlifting and cardio to maintain her striking figure.
“I don’t know how this next chapter will read but competing for inclusion in this swimsuit issue is another way of showing that age limits are something we impose on ourselves,” Harrison-Bauer said.
She wouldn’t be the oldest woman to appear in SI Swim. Legendary supermodel Christie Brinkley returned to grace its pages at age 63 in 2017 alongside daughters Alexa Ray Joel and Sailor Brinkley Cook.
But Harrison-Bauer would be the oldest ever picked from an open casting call. She’s also not a celebrity or full-time model.
At the end of her casting video above, she said, “I want to be in the Swimsuit Issue at age 59 because no woman should ever be boxed in.”
Best of luck!