SI Swimsuit finalist Kathy Jacobs, 56, opens up about modeling journey: ‘I have reinvented myself’
She is making waves as the magazine’s oldest rookie from the Swim Search competition
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kathy Jacobs, a 56-year-old mother, feels as though she reinvented herself after becoming a top 6 finalist in the Sports Illustrated Swim Search.
The California resident’s dedication to representing middle-aged women and short models (she stands at 5 foot 3 inches) earned her a spot in the Swimsuit Issue coming out on July 21.
“I think it’s pretty cool that I get to come back to modeling again,” Jacobs told The New Post on Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kathy Jacobs walks the runway during the 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show During Miami Swim Week (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)
She continued: “Don’t ever give up on yourself.”
“I have reinvented myself so many times,” Jacobs said. “I have been on the ‘Today' show and ‘Rachel Ray’ baking and doing crafts.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mother of one also created her own skincare line and has worked regular jobs throughout her life.
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The model has a robust fitness routine and showed her abs off in her photoshoot in Turks and Caicos with the other five Swim Search finalists.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I think I look better in a bikini than a one-piece,” she told The Post.
Kathy Jacobs walks the runway during the 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show During Miami Swim Week. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)
Jacobs also revealed she’s strict with food because her mother has high blood pressure and has suffered multiple strokes, resulting in dementia. “I don’t eat bread, pasta, white potatoes, rice or meat. I eat fish and don’t have sugar,” she said.
Fox News caught up with Jacobs in March to discuss her revamped modeling career.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I set my mind to posing in a bikini for Sports Illustrated,” she said after competing for a spot in last year’s search.
Kathy Jacobs attends the 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Miami Swim Week. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)
She continued: “A year ago, I had just quit my minimum wage job sweeping the floor at Dry Bar and I said, I'm going to give this one last shot. I'm gonna take some headshots and send them out. And I got some modeling and acting jobs. And I won this contest in a year. I mean, it's crazy. So anyone out there. Anyone out there that thinks that it's too late for them. I'm here to tell them that it's not. I'm here to tell them to believe in themselves.”
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“I'm here for the girls over 50 and I'm here for the petite girls,” Jacobs said. “Because I just want to tell you something, the average height of a woman in America is 5-foot-4. And when they say inclusive, they don't include us shorties. They never include us. And finally, they're including us. And I'm just so grateful to Sports Illustrated for including us.”
Fox News' Julius Young contributed to this report.