Las Vegas Weekly

February 13, 2009 · 3:48 PM

Amid blemishes and bargains, S.I. models show human side

By Allison Duck

Photo: Allison Duck

Last Night’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue party at LAX helped state the obvious: Swimsuit models are ridiculously hot. It also shed some light on a little-known fact about models: They are people, too. Model Brooklyn Decker attempted to speak Spanish with the reporter from Univision. When asked if she spoke Spanish, Decker responded, “Un poco,” indicating she knew a little. She answered the next question of where she learned Spanish by saying, “In eschoolo.” I think she was probably going for escuela (school). Just after her interview, Decker put her hands on her head and asked the cameraman, “It was really bad, wasn’t it?” Well, yes, but at least she tried. She is a swimsuit model after all, not a linguist working for the CIA.

Another humanizing trait many of the models shared was their love of a good deal. Several of them commented on the sale prices of their dresses. Sports Illustrated cover model Bar Refaeli, a three-year veteran of the Swimsuit Issue, walked the red carpet in a gorgeous, form-fitting pink dress and nude heels. She exclaimed proudly, “I got this a few weeks ago when I was shopping and it was 40 percent off!” I never thought I would hear those words come out of the mouth of a model. Another model revealed that she bought her dress just recently at BCBG. While it’s not the GAP, BCBG is a lot more in the price range of the average shopper than, say, Gucci or Prada. It was refreshing to hear that even top models can appreciate a good deal.

Bar Refaeli, unquestionably one of the most beautiful models in the business, was sporting an unusual accessory: a small pimple on her chin. Refaeli dabbed a little concealer on her blemish and didn’t let it bother her. The tiny flaw reminded female on-lookers that though she has her image wrapped around the SI plane and on the cover of magazines, and that she has dated the likes of Leo DiCaprio, Bar Refaeli, is first and foremost, a normal lady who has to deal with zits and loves a steal on a hot dress.

Peter Weisz contributed to this post

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