8 SI Swim Photos of Padma Lakshmi That Capture Her Natural Beauty

The TV personality and best-selling author posed for this year’s magazine in Dominica.

Author:
Cara O’Bleness
Publish date:
Aug 4, 2023

Padma Lakshmi was photographed by Yu Tsai in Dominica.
Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Entrepreneur, television host and philanthropist Padma Lakshmi posed for the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue in Dominica, where she worked with photographer Yu Tsai.

Lakshmi’s list of professional and personal accomplishments is incredible: she’s a New York Times best-selling author, creator of Hulu’s Taste the Nation and mom to her teenage daughter, Krishna, whom the 52-year-old has called “the most important and biggest thing” in her life.

“She sees me having fittings all day long,” Lakshmi told SI Swimsuit of her daughter. “She sees me in glam before every event. She’s acutely aware of [the modeling] world and is interested in it. I don’t want her to put that much focus on what she looks like. I try to tell her that your appearance is one part of you. Beauty is skin deep, but dumb and boring are to the bone.”

Lakshmi’s styling on location in the eastern Caribbean island was inspired by Mother Nature. Thus, the former Top Chef host wore bikinis with natural textures and colors, from sea shells to earthy green tones.

Below are eight of our favorite photos from Lakshmi’s SI Swimsuit feature in Dominica this year that capture her natural beauty at its finest.