Pic of the Day 02.13.09

Ever since 1992, when Kathy Ireland braved the snow to grace the cover in a floss-thin, white sequined bikini, I've been a loyal enthusiast of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. For me, the Swimsuit Issue brought about a sexual awakening of sorts. I was seven at the time and looking at Kathy's supple and curvy body, I got my first boner -- a salient moment in any boy's life.

I loved that cover so much, I brought the magazine to school with me everyday -- eventually I was called to the principle's office, after a girl in my class ratted me out for showing it to a friend during a math lesson. Most of all, though, that cover made me start realizing how much I love women and, more to the point, their bodies. Within the next year, I convinced my parents to buy me a Playboy and Hustler, and my love for the female form grew exponentially.

Unlike the young men of today, I didn't have sites like BigNaturals, MikeinBrazil, or DansMovies at my fingertips. I had a glossy cover and an imagination. That's why when I look at this year's issue, featuring Israeli stunner Bar Rafaeli in all her curvacious glory, I'm transposed to a time when a boy's imagination took him a long way. My hope is that this cover can do for today's impressionable boys, what Kathy's cover did for me.