When Kate Upton made it, she made it big time. The model is often cited among “the first of fashion’s social media set” thanks to a video of her dancing went viral. Since then Kate’s life changed forever.
How it all started
Kate started modelling in Miami when she was just fifteen and was immediately thrown into a busy schedule. And when speaking about castings, she remembers it as being straightforward and no one to tell her that her body type wasn’t “normal” for a model.
“At the beginning, there wasn’t social media or anyone to have an opinion on who a client hired. I either got the job or I didn’t, so I never really saw myself as not being the ‘normal’ kind of fashion model.”
When the Floridian model was 18, she landed the amazing gig as “Rookie of the Year” in Sports Illustrated. And even though this was a huge highlight in the model’s career, it also sparked media to write about her body.
“It was a particularly low moment and I thought to myself, Why am I doing this?“
However, even without social media, Kate had started to grow her own following and inspired hundreds of women who thanked her in fan letters.
“All these women were thanking me and telling me about body image issues and eating disorders and how excited they were to see someone they could relate to in a magazine.”
The dance that went viral
About a month after the Sports Illustrated spread hit the stands, a clip popped up on the internet of Kate dancing at a basketball game. Described as a “portrait of all-American girl beauty”, she was dancing to the then-popular song “Teach Me How To Dougie”.
The New York Times even ran a feature: ‘Model Struts Path to Stardom Not on Runway, but on YouTube.’
What followed was an extraordinary list of opportunities waiting at Kate’s door. Not only did she book back-to-back Sports Illustrated, Vogue, and Vanity Fair covers, but she was thrown into the world of Hollywood’s elite as one of the “sexiest women” alive.
Since then Kate has featured in multiple films and continue to share her message of body positivity.
ALSO READ: Victoria Beckham expresses her gratitude for “Posh Spice” persona