With a revealing cover shot that landed her on the front of this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, model Hannah Davis believes any fuss over the photo is a little overblown.
"I think you're making it look a lot naughtier than it really is to be honest,'' Davis told Matt Lauer on TODAY Monday after a ribbon graphic covered part of the cover. "To be honest, I think SI always tries to do something a little different every year, and I think this year, it's the year of the torso."
A native of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Davis, 24, is appearing in her third swimsuit issue and also is known for dating recently-retired baseball great Derek Jeter.
More from Davis:
- On the former swimsuit cover model she strives to emulate: "I really actually would like to model my career after someone like Kathy Ireland. I think she just built this incredible empire, but she honors the fact that Sports Illustrated was the platform that got her to that place."
- On making her first SI cover: "It was an overwhelming sort-of moment. I was so blindsided by the whole thing, but it's an honor."
Here is the full, revealing cover:
