Ashley Callingbull has been selected to model in this year’s Sports Illustrated magazine swimsuit edition — the first Indigenous woman to be featured

“I got the call at 6 a.m. I was still in bed. I couldn’t believe it,” Callingbull said in an interview with Global News from the Dominican Republic Thursday night. “I thought I was actually dreaming… I just started crying.

“And then finding out I’m the first Plains Cree First Nations woman — wow. It’s just still so surreal to me. I’m still in shock. I’m just so proud”.

“It’s breaking a lot of barriers but it’s also opening a door for other Indigenous women to follow so that they’re comfortable in this space and they feel that they can shine here,” she said.

“Being the first is great but knowing that I’m not the last is the most important thing for me.”

The model and advocate, who is from Enoch Cree Nation, just west of Edmonton, is also the only Canadian in this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

“It’s really exciting and I hope Canada is there for me to vote and support me,” she said, explaining the cover model will be chosen through a vote.

“I want to represent my people and I want to represent my country,” Callingbull said.

In her meetings with the magazine, Callingbull said Sports Illustrated was looking for more than models for this edition.

“They’re looking for women who are not just diverse, but that have these powerful platforms and do so much work on their own. It’s not just modeling; it’s about how you can use your voice, how you can amplify other women’s voices, and what good you can bring to the world.”

Callingbull shared her upbringing included domestic violence and poverty. That inspired her to help women and children escaping abuse and she’s partnered with WIN House on several projects. She also works with at-risk youth in the foster system.

Being featured as a proud, independent Indigenous woman in such a well-known magazine is a way to highlight a population that often is ignored or silenced, Callingbull said.

“Indigenous women, we’re always considered a target,” she said. “People see us ‘less than’ and now… everyone knows what Sports Illustrated is… I’m in this position where I can use my voice (to) create change.

“It’s so crazy to think where I came from. I was this really insecure Native girl that didn’t even dare to dream because there was no one out there chasing the same dream. Now I’m signing contracts that say ‘Sports Illustrated’ on the top of it. I just can’t even comprehend it yet.

“It makes me so excited because who else is going to be doing this after me… There’s going to be more individuals chasing these dreams.”

Link to story: https://bikininewsdaily.com/bnd/AshleyCallingbullhasbeen-2824