Wisconsin native Myla Dalbesio was discovered at a beauty pageant in her hometown at the age of 16. The model made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2017 and was photographed for the magazine four separate years, starting with her feature with Ben Watts in Curaçao. The 36-year-old also traveled to Aruba, Australia and Wyoming with the brand, and participated in a powerful project titled “In Her Own Words” in 2018.

“I embrace my body and celebrate it, and for me that is what this issue represents. When I strip down and roll around in the sand, I’m not doing it for men, I’m doing it for me. I’m doing it because I worked for a decade to get here, went through countless trials and tribulations over my body image, and now I am proud to represent women my size,” she wrote in an essay along with her rookie feature. “I am proud to show that you can be strong, smart, and sexy. I am proud to defy outdated and incorrect expectations of what feminists look and act like. I can be serious about women’s rights and flaunt my curves in a swimsuit (or out of one) at the same time. I hope that by doing so, I can help other women that look like me (and even those that don’t) begin to appreciate and love their bodies more.”

Dalbesio is a total vision in front of the camera, but she is also a talented photographer and creative who loves art.

Below are six of our favorite photos from her debut SI Swimsuit photoshoot.

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!