Ready to make waves

American model Chrissy Teigen is poised for a big splash as she could be on the cover of Sports Illustrated's big annual Swimsuit Issue, the NY Daily News reported.

The issue hits news-stands on Feb 18, the report said.

And with the annual edition turning 50 this year, tension is running higher than ever about who will soar to instant fame when the cover is unveiled.

The NY Daily News feels that Teigen's past record makes her a favourite to make the cover.

The model has appeared in four consecutive past Swimsuit Issues - starting with being named "Rookie of the Year" in 2010.

It also said that the New York-based brunette model whose father is Norwegian and mum Thai, would be a nice change ­after two years of blonde Kate Upton on the cover.

Teigen is a social media star, with 350,000 followers on Twitter. One fan is singer John Legend, whom she married last September.

Legend also happened to perform at the Swimsuit Issue's 50th Anniversary show. The report also said that Teigen's fun, go-anywhere personality makes her a fan favourite and could make her a breakout star.

PERSONALITY


"She has a really strong personality," said stylist J. Logan Horne, who has worked with Teigen several times.

"One of the reasons she's so big on Twitter is that she responds to her haters and to her fans. She has a really cool way of staying relatable and grounded.

"I think that's what people like about Chrissy, that she's not ordinary in any way," said the stylist.

"And what I love about Sports Illustrated is that every year (the cover girl) is totally unexpected. Chrissy would be a really good choice."

Typically, the model chosen for the cover is not known, the report said.

"No one knows. Not even the photographers know," said lensman Walter Iooss Jr, who has shot a dozen Swimsuit Issue covers.

"It's a very important decision for a US$40 million (S$51 million) magazine," he says.

"It's probably their most important decision (of the year)."