Before Kate Upton was named the “ Hottest Supermodel On The Planet ” she was just another pretty face trying to make a name for herself. A recently uncovered photo shows a young Kate Upton a few years before she became a household name.
Upton, who recently turned 21 , quickly ascended to the top of the modeling food chain after a video of her doing the Dougie at a Los Angeles Clippers game went viral .
Since then, she’s landed countless covers (including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition twice), TV commercials , endorsements and prom dates .
The NY Times reports talent scout David Cunningham saw Upton’s viral video and decided to introduce her to Ivan Bart of IMG Models. Bart saw potential in Upton but others didn’t believe that she could follow IMG models like Gisele Bündchen, Heidi Klum and Kate Moss.
Bart said: “When Kate first came in, everyone at the agency thought I was crazy … She wasn’t ‘fashion’ enough.”
Still, Bart signed her on the spot and helped her become one of the most in demand models in the business.
It’s unclear if this photo is from the day Upton met Bart at IMG but it appears that it was taken just after Upton’s 18th birthday in June of 2010.
Do you see Upton’s potential? Does she look like the world’s most powerful model at just 18-years-old?
Despite all of her success Upton still has her doubters. Sophia Neophitou, who makes angles at Victoria’s Secret, famously said that Upton would never be used in one of her shows .
Neophitou said: “We would never use Kate Upton … She’s like a Page 3 girl … She’s like a footballer’s wife, with the too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy.”
IMG, of course, saw something different when they looked at young Kate Upton’s photo. They saw an endless stream of magazine covers, TV commercials, and and movie parts.
Are you a fan of Kate Upton?
[Image Via Reddit ]
