Lindsey Vonn is a legend on the snow. She has 82 World Cup wins. She has three Olympic medals. But for a huge chunk of the internet, she is also the woman who spent 14 hours standing nearly naked in a room while someone painted a swimsuit onto her skin.
It was 2016. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was leaning hard into the "body paint" trend. Vonn wasn't the only athlete involved—Ronda Rousey and Caroline Wozniacki were there too—but Vonn’s shoot felt different. It was athletic. It was grueling. Honestly, it was a lot less glamorous than the final photos made it look.
The 14-Hour Reality Check
People see the photos and think it’s just a quick "brush on and go" situation. It isn't. Vonn spent roughly 14 hours in the "makeup chair," which is a polite way of saying she stood or sat while artists meticulously applied layers of pigment.
The shoot took place at Petit St. Vincent in the Grenadine islands. The design was a blue and green Missoni-inspired pattern. This wasn't just some craft store paint either. It was professional-grade body art designed to withstand the heat and humidity of a Caribbean beach.
"Totally normal right now. Totally normal," Vonn joked in a behind-the-scenes video while she was essentially wearing nothing but a layer of paint thinner than a sheet of paper.
The artist behind the look was Joanne Gair, the absolute GOAT of body painting. She’s the same woman who did the famous Demi Moore "suit" for Vanity Fair back in the 90s. For Vonn, the process was a test of endurance. You can’t really sit down properly. You can’t lean against things. You basically just... exist as a canvas for half a day.
Why Vonn Actually Did It
Vonn has been vocal about body image for years. She’s strong. She has muscular thighs and powerful shoulders. In the world of high-fashion modeling, those things weren't always celebrated.
She wanted to show that "strong is beautiful." That was her hashtag at the time. She wasn't trying to be a "skinny model." She was showing what a world-class athlete looks like when you strip away the Gore-Tex and the carbon fiber skis.
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Interestingly, she even did pull-ups on a beach pavilion while in full body paint. High heels on. No clothes. Just raw strength. It was a bizarre mix of high-fashion aesthetics and hardcore training.
The Controversy and the Comeback
Not everyone loved it. Some critics felt it "sexualized" a woman whose primary contribution to the world was her insane talent on a downhill course.
Vonn didn't care.
She’d already been in the magazine in 2010. She came back in 2016 because she felt more comfortable in her skin. This is a woman who has had her knees rebuilt multiple times. Her body is a map of scars and surgeries. For her, the Lindsey Vonn body paint shoot was a way to reclaim her body as something more than just a tool for winning races.
- Photographer: Frederic Pinet
- Duration: 14 hours of application
- Location: Petit St. Vincent, Grenadines
- The Look: Missoni-inspired zig-zags in blue, black, and teal
What the Cameras Didn't Show
The hardest part about body paint isn't the painting. It’s the "wear." You’re on a beach. There is sand. There is salt water. There is sweat. If you move too fast, the paint cracks. If you get too wet, it runs.
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The crew has to constantly "touch up" areas that rub together. It’s an awkward, tedious process that requires a lot of trust between the athlete and the glam team. Vonn mentioned that seeing the "suit" on a hanger (which was just a drawing) vs. seeing it on her body was a huge shift. She felt it looked more like art than a costume.
The Legacy of the 2016 Shoot
Looking back from 2026, we see this shoot as a turning point for how female athletes are marketed. It paved the way for more diverse body types in mainstream media. Vonn wasn't trying to hide her muscles; she was highlighting them.
She eventually returned for a third SI shoot in 2019 in Puerto Vallarta, but she wore actual bikinis for that one. She told reporters she was happy to finally have "real clothes" to put on.
Actionable Insights for Following the Trend:
If you’re looking into the history of athlete crossovers in fashion, don't just look at the finished glossies. Search for the behind-the-scenes footage of Vonn's 2016 shoot to see the actual athleticism required to hold those poses for hours. It’s a lesson in patience as much as it is in modeling. Also, if you’re interested in the art itself, follow Joanne Gair’s work—it’s the gold standard for understanding how "clothing" can be created without a single stitch of fabric.
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To get the full picture, compare the 2016 body paint shots with Vonn's 2010 Olympic-era photos. The shift in her confidence is visible. She went from being a "skier in a magazine" to a woman who fully owned her space, regardless of what she was—or wasn't—wearing.