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SI Swimsuit model Brooks Nader doesn’t care if her sexy style offends you
When it comes to the red carpet, Brooks Nader often leaves fans in sheer amazement.
The 25-year-old model — who was included in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the third time this year — went viral for her nearly-nude dress at the 2019 SI Sportsperson of the Year Awards.
Since then, she certainly hasn’t stepped back from the see-through styles with which she’s “obsessed” … but she has stopped reading the comments.
“When I wore my first sheer dress…people like fully attacked me,” she told Page Six Style.
“It can be like a little bit hurtful, but honestly I’m the type of personality that’s like, okay, cool, people wanted to hate on it? I’m totally going to do it again.”
And do it again she did. The Louisiana native rocked two transparent styles at SI Swim’s 2021 celebrations: a bejeweled, multicolored Marc Bouwer mini for Miami Swim Week and a plunging silver gown for the issue’s launch party.
But while Nader’s dresses may appear to be barely there, her stylists put a lot of work into warding off wardrobe malfunctions.
“You wouldn’t believe the types of things that go under there to conceal,” she told us. “They have it down to a science … because if it were up to me, I’m sure that they know I would probably wear nothing under it and they’re like, ‘With the [camera] flashes, that’s just not an option.’”
Beyond fashion tape, Nader’s best accessory just might be the “new level of confidence” she’s gotten from shooting with Sports Illustrated, inspiring her to “put it all out there” on the red carpet.
“SI Swimsuit makes me feel so comfortable. I’m like, whatever, I’m going to wear a sheer dress,” she said, adding that SI Swim editor-in-chief MJ Day calls the bikini bible’s beach setups “the kind of shoot you can eat a burger before.”
In fact, Nader’s photoshoot prep process involves a lot of boxing, eating “a little bit clean” and staying hydrated with products from SI’s partner, Vita Coco. But her approach has shifted slightly since she won the Sports Illustrated Swim Search in 2019.
“I feel like since Sports Illustrated is evolving in a more progressive direction, I have less pressure to do a crazy crash diet or something I would probably do year one, not knowing how open and accepting MJ and the brand [are],” the bikini model said of the magazine, which has been making strides toward diversity and inclusion.
In addition to bringing a slew of skincare tools — a “dermatologist in my bag,” as she calls it — to swimsuit shoots, Nader also sips Vita Coco’s pressed coconut water throughout, later mixing the fruity flavors with tequila for a celebratory toast.
But tropical cocktails weren’t the only way the model, represented by Women Management LA, celebrated her third appearance in the glossy: She also stopped to snack on some Popeye’s chicken nuggets following the launch party’s red carpet.
“I wasn’t even thinking about my dress — which, looking back, I probably should have,” she said of chowing down on the chicken. “I was eating chicken nuggets in a sheer dress; everyone was like, ‘Wow, that is really ballsy!’”
She brings a similar attitude to her style, knowing that while she’s transparent about her love for transparent dresses, some people “are always going to be offended by it.”
“I mean, my mom doesn’t even think it’s the best idea, but whatever — sorry, Mom!” Nader quipped.
