Last Saturday, three lovely ladies waited anxiously to find out which one of them would receive the honor of being featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated 2016 Swimsuit Edition.

Each year, the reveal is highly anticipated and the appearance is considered a huge privilege. This year’s candidates consisted of 20-year-old fashion model Hailey Clauson, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, and plus-size model and body activist Ashley Graham.

At the reveal, Sports Illustrated surprised everyone by announcing that all three of the women would grace their own cover in the form of three separate swimsuit editions. While each individual was highly deserving of the opportunity, size 16 model Ashley Graham proved to be a standout in the media because of the progressive influence predicted to stem from her cover debut.

In 2015, Graham attracted attention from the media after appearing in an advertisement featured in the annual swimsuit edition. The ad for a swimsuit retailer promoting diverse body types was the magazine’s first to highlight a plus-size model and attracted considerable attention to its star.    

“I thought Sports Illustrated was taking a risk by putting a girl my size in the pages,” said Graham to Bustle. “But putting me on the cover? They aren’t just breaking barriers; they are the standard now.”

Graham emphasized how such a privilege will affect so much more than just her personal career. She stressed the impact her cover will have on the way beauty is perceived in society. After receiving her joyful news Graham couldn’t help but shine light on all women in society.

“I want to dedicate it to all of the women out there who never felt that they were beautiful enough, who never felt like they were skinny enough, and who never felt like they were going to be able to be represented in society like this,” said Graham to People. “Because now we’re being represented.”

Mckayla Martinez, president of the UNCW fashion club known as “Couture by the Shore,” also feels that the issue’s cover will have a significant impact.

“I think this is a revolutionary moment for many women around the world, because we should feel beautiful not only at size 0 but also at size 20,” said Martinez. “As a plus-size or ‘average’ women with curves, it is such an awesome feeling to see Ashley Graham as a beautiful model. Not a plus size model but just a model.”

Sports Illustrated’s action also caught the attention of Dr. Chadwick Roberts, an assistant professor in the communication studies department who is involved in the women’s and gender studies program here at UNCW.

“There is a confusion in our culture over what’s strong and healthy versus what a model looks like,” said Roberts. “The models don’t look healthy and strong to me. That’s the problem; we don’t know how to look at female strength. I’m glad to see they put a healthy looking woman on the cover. She looks like she actually does some swimming instead of just wearing the swimsuits.”

When asked how he thought the public would respond to Graham’s cover, Roberts had strong and interesting remarks to make.

“When there are surveys asking men what is the most attractive body type, men almost always choose the fuller women with the wider hips, and women usually choose the smaller silhouette seen on most models,” said Roberts. “Anytime there’s a change, there are going to be people feeling like the media is just trying to push an agenda, and then there will be people who welcome it. I think for my purposes, I am hoping that the swimsuit issue isn’t just a publicity stunt.”

Dr. Anita K. McDaniel, an associate professor in the communication studies department at UNCW, speculated about how the cover will be viewed.

“I think men will think she’s hot and they will like it, generally speaking,” said McDaniel. “I think women will receive it positively because it presents a different body shape, but I think women will probably view it as a one-time thing.”

Concerning the effect Graham’s feature is expected to have on how women are presented in the media, McDaniel believes it’s a positive step in the right direction.

“I think it is a positive step in seeing different body types, and it shows people that it comes in a plus size, too,” said McDaniel. “Given that she is posed similarly to the girls on the other covers, it is seen as equally sexy, and it merely reinforces what we already assumed about how women are presented in the media.”

“The pose [which displays Graham’s cleavage] shows that it is just a matter of body parts,” said McDaniel. “It’s not about big or small or anything like that. It’s all about new and old, and that’s the interest, not size; just what is new and what is old.”

The Swimsuit Edition covers were released earlier this month and though there are always a few cynics, the response from the public was in general positive and supportive. All three editions flew off the shelves, so Sports Illustrated must be doing something right.