For the second year in a row, supermodel Kate Upton was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, released officially on Tuesday.
Upton becomes just the fifth model to have covers in two straight years, following Christie Brinkley (1979-81), Elle MacPherson (1986-88), Paulina Porizkova (1984-85) and Tyra Banks (1996-97). The main part of the photo shoot was in Antarctica, while others were in more tropical climates.
In preparation for the release, Katherine Webb and other models went on The Late Show with David Letterman", while Upton was on the today show to discuss her shoot in Anarctica.
"The penguins kept me going. They're adorable," she said, "and any time I was like, 'I can't do it anymore,' I would look at them and I was like, 'Okay, for them [I can do it].' I was doing it for the penguins."
The 20-year-old Upton is considered to be one of the top super models in the world and it marks her third appearance on the cover, as she had a small space two years ago when she was selected as rookie of the year in 2011, when Irina Shayk was on the front spot.
February always marks the release of the issue, which was created by the magazine to help with the lull and quiet timer in the posts calendar following the end of the NFL season when it is still not yet time for baseball.
The issue covers the entire world, with models and photographers travelling to all seven continents to take pictures, including in Africa and Asia. Upton's shoot down under took 10 days and saw her out in the cold in just a bathing suit and boots. She said the cover "is the most clothes I'm wearing in the whole issue." Upton said in a phone interview Monday: "It was a sort of I-love-you from the editor: 'I'll let you wear a coat for this one.'"
The shoot took place during the "summer" in the Southernmost part of the hemisphere and saw Upton get sick after she returned home.
Upton said she was "very, very sick. I don't think you can go to Antarctica and stand in a bikini without that happening. But I didn't die, and I'm OK now."
The Sorts Illustrate website has an interactive feature with the new issue, allowing users to check out individual models and their past pictures in the magazine. Upton did a Super Bowl commercial that was a huge hit for Mercedes and featured her next to a car clad in a tank top and shorts.
CLICK HERE for photos of Kate Upton on the cover and inside the swimsuit edition.
