Plus-size SI swimsuit model Hunter McGrady says ‘beauty is not a number’

Hunter McGrady is making waves in her recent Sports Illustrated Swimsuit spread.

The 23-year-old is beyond excited about the opportunity to appear in perhaps the most coveted modeling spot in print.

The plus-size model wrote on Instagram:

“This is a surreal moment for me. You guys I have been bursting to tell you all about this! I want to thank @MJ_Day for an opportunity like this to do the SI model search and for being a force in this industry and everyone at @si_swimsuit for promoting that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Beauty is not a number. It has no limits. I have never felt sexier than I did in this shoot.”

McGrady told SI that she learned about plus-size modeing when she was 19. Before that she spent years trying to maintain a weight of around 115 pounds:

“When I was about 19, I learned about plus size modeling. It was actually Robyn Lawley, Tara Lynn and Candice Huffine on the Vogue Italia cover. I saw that and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, these women are so beautiful and they are my size.’ By that time, I had gained some weight and I was about a size 10-12. And that’s what kind of opened my eyes to the plus size world.”

She went on to dedicate her accomplishment to anyone who has been made to feel less than by the size of models depicted in the magazines:

Women, for anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable or insecure because of rolls, or stretch marks, or cellulite, or acne, or felt like you didn’t measure up because you weren’t represented in the magazines–THIS IS FOR YOU! You are beautiful. You are STRONG. You are powerful and together we need to lift each other up and inspire one another. There’s too much going on on this world to let each other fall by the wayside.

McGrady also encouraged fans to vote for her to appear in the 2018 issue.