In the history of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, there’s never been a swimsuit model who’s been over the age of 50 who wasn't either a celebrity or professional model. That could all change if Jodi Harrison-Bauer of Branford, Connecticut has her way.

Jodi, who is 58 and the mother of two, just flew to Miami last Friday (July 12) to compete with mostly 20-something-year-old models for a coveted spot in the Sports Illustrated 2020 swimsuit issue. She’s trying to set an example for women her age and she won’t take 'no' for an answer. According to a story in the CT PostJodi's ideas are as follows:

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. 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.

So what’s her secret -- how does she keep herself in such good shape? She just happens to be the owner of JodiFit in Branford, and that allows her the opportunity to combine 10 hours of resistance training and weight lifting with cardio each week, something most women her age either don’t have the time for or can only dream of doing. She even produced a video to submit for the original casting call:

Competing in fitness pageants is something Jodi is used to. In her 40s, she was a two-time champion in the Fitness America and Fitness Universe competitions, and made the cover of Generations Magazine.

Now she’s on to set another historic mark as she attempts to at least make the first round of cuts and take a step closer to making her mark and a mark to empower women of her age everywhere.

 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.

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