Hudson Valley Woman Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Finalist
A woman from the Hudson Valley might be featured in the next Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
In July, Sports Illustrated held an open casting call in Miami to find models for the 2020 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. Thousands applied including Florinda Estrada of Orange County.
"Being part of SI Swimsuit model search is so much more than just having the opportunity to work with one of the most iconic brands in the industry. It’s more than potentially getting a spread in the future. It’s more than maybe one day becoming a cover model. It’s more than glamour or beauty. Being part of this is much, much bigger," Estrada told SI.
Estrada says she waited in line at the casting call for four hours but was then spotted by Camille Kostek and selected to win a "golden ticket" to skip the line.
"Some people call it the 'it' factor. But I call it the 'confident, friendly, non-judgmental, humble, unapologetically willing to follow her heart' factor. And to have received a golden ticket from a woman like that? It actually meant a lot to me. It made me feel like because Camille–a past winner of #SISwimSearch and current SI Swimsuit cover model–saw something in me, I had the responsibility of not letting her down," she told SI.
Out of thousands, the Jet Blue flight attendant from Monroe was named on of SI's 16 finalists.
"I had always seen the magazine around when I was a teenager. I’d see the girls on the cover and remember wanting so badly to just be them, yet always felt like I couldn’t. That’s why seeing Ashley Graham on the cover was a game changer. I remember it just took my breath away. It felt like the whole world stopped for a moment to open such an important door for so many people around the world. It reminded me that anything is possible and that even I, at a size 14 — can be a cover girl or in the pages of one of the most iconic magazines of all time," Estrada told People after being named a finalist.
According to Estrada, Sports Illustrated will select six of the 16 finalists to be featured in this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.