Olivia Culpo Heads Maxim 100, Wearing Sensual Elegance Lensed By Gilles Bensimon

It’s been years since AOC looked at the Maxim 100, led this year by American fashion influencer, media personality and 2012 Miss Universe Olivia Culpo. Stylist Caroline Christiansson chooses lingerie-inspired looks from Agent Provocateur, Elisabetta Franchi, Jonathan Simkai, John Galliano, Paula Ka, Savage x Fenty and more for sensual images by Gilles Bensimon. / Hair by Yoichi Tomizawa; makeup by Leslie Lopez

In the age of #MeToo and Victoria’s Secret marinating in a heap of declining sales and marketing prestige, has Maxim made any changes in their editorial positioning similar to those underway at Sports Illustrated?

Maxim plays lip service to the changes, writing: “This year we decided to do things a bit differently. The inexorable rise of digital influencers – and a certain progressive social movement you may have heard a little something about – led us to reconsider what it means to be “hot” in 2019.”

Maxim continues: “There’s physical beauty, sure. But that was only part of our attraction algorithm. As a general rule, the women who caught our eye bring something else to the party, succeeding in their chosen field against long odds through sheer determination, raw talent, and a willingness to put themselves out there.”

We’ll be digging into the Maxim 100 to see what — if any — real changes are happening in how Maxim rates women.