She is best known for her long-running affiliation with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which featured her on the cover in 1970, 1975, and 1983. The 1978 poster of her in a pink bikini became an iconic 1970s pop culture image.

While posing for the 1978 swimsuit issue, she took a quick dip in the water on the beach wearing a white cotton fishnet swimsuit. When she emerged from the water, photographers—professional and amateur—flocked to her and asked her to pose for an extended amount of time—about 50 minutes. She later said she claimed to have no idea why the photographers suddenly took such an interest in her, and didn't discover why until she saw the final prints from the shoot: when wet, the suit was almost completely translucent.