Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli has landed Sports Illustrated’s coveted swimsuit issue cover this year, said Jezebel, and she seems so excited that “she simply cannot keep her drawers on!” Was it really necessary for her to show the world “the extent of her bikini wax?” (Watch the cover being revealed on Letterman, via YouTube) Sport’s Illustrated’s swimsuit issue has “been looking more and more like Playboy over the years”—we prefer SI’s more modest covers from the ’70s.

But it’s 2009, said Samantha Critchell in the Associated Press, and it’s easy to understand why models are willing to show more skin for Sports Illustrated these days. “This gig, more than top fashion or entertainment magazines, can be career-altering as it puts a model's face (not to mention, her fantastically toned body) in front of millions of eyeballs, appealing to both men and women, sports fans and fashionistas.”

True, said Alisa Gould-Simon in Black Book, but “opting for body paint over bathing suits” for some of the issue’s shots this year does seem a bit extreme. Still, Refaeli has a lot more going for her than just the swimsuit issue cover: The 23-year-old is set to host a new version of MTV’s House of Style, and is starring in her first feature film, Session. And maybe now she’ll no longer be “best known for being Leo DiCaprio’s better half.”