Is Martha Stewart’s Sports Illustrated cover a diversity breakthrough? No, it’s just window dressing

Real change would be more than the tokenism of one magazine cover. Just see Edward Enninful’s Vogue for true inclusivity, writes Zoe Williams

 Martha Stewart: Partly by dint of its only annual appearance, the swimsuit issue became a bellwether for the next big thing in modelling, and has made or cemented countless reputations, from Elle Macpherson to Tyra Banks.

Martha Stewart, at 81, this week becomes the oldest cover star ever to grace Sports Illustrated's swimsuit cover. With her tousled beach hair, gorgeous pixie face, professional tan and stone swimsuit, well, it would be against my principles to judge whether she looks older or younger than 81, suffice it to say that she looks incredible.

She has a silken orange cape draped over her shoulders — a bold choice, I thought, since it recalls the orange-jumpsuit uniform of her prison sentence for lying to federal investigators over a share trade in 2004, but maybe that’s deliberate and ironic. Or maybe I’m the only person who remembers that.