From all of that, I want to be very public about how I'm feeling during the journey. I describe myself to others as just Lewis because identifying with one set of pronouns or gender makes me feel so limited. Even since the beginning of my Swim Search journey last August, I've discovered that my gender fluidity is always present and some days I wake up feeling like I fall under multiple gender identifications.
I'm only 21 and I feel like I just started my road of coming out. People need to know that feeling internally and externally different about your identity is okay and by taking things day by day you will slowly discover yourself.įreese: It is so exciting that I'm doing this at this stage of my life right now. I was able to experience - through their platform - the opportunity one can find when being authentically themselves. Growing up I always felt the need to suppress any form of femininity, however, brands like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit instilled confidence and hope in me. With those differences comes a need for acceptance so we can all inspire, encourage, and love each other regardless of how we identify. However, as I've continued down this path of self-discovery, I've realized my message is so much more about gender variety and how every person's gender presents itself differently. It used to revolve around being male and how important it is to feel empowered by all, women, men, or nonbinary people. My messaging at its core has always been the same, but my understanding of it has completely transformed in the past two years. So Swim Search was and is the best avenue for me to not only continue this conversation, but to take back the power that a swimsuit has had over me for so long.įreese: Being that this is my second year to apply to Swim Search, I love going back and comparing the two videos. Swimwear is one of the most binary forms of clothing and I believe Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has redefined the true meaning of what a swimsuit embodies. I think it's ironic for me to be doing a swimsuit competition when swimsuits have been the downfall of my confidence in the past.
Johnson and CeCe McDonald who have inspired me to continue the conversation they started. Being that Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has always led the conversation of inclusion and diversity, I thought why not bring this discussion to the brand? There have been thousands of transgender, queer, and nonbinary activists like Marsha P. It was hard for me to find a lot of people on mainstream media platforms discussing these issues. I was confused about my identity, my gender, and really where I was going to go. Freese: When I first applied for Swim Search in 2019, I was dealing with a lot of confusion.
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