At the age of 20, Kate Upton has already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She also has a couple of Vogue pictorials and YouTube hits under her belt.
But Upton's real dream is to join the ranks of supermodels like Cindy Crawford, Gisele Bundchen or Kate Moss. She aspires to walk runways and do a "big, glamorous ad campaign," she told Vogue.
So far, Upton has been snubbed by much of the industry.
She has never walked the runway at New York Fashion Week, a fact that seems absurd considering that she's been on the cover of so many magazines.
With Upton's curves, you'd think she'd be perfect for Victoria's Secret.
But the lingerie giant's casting director, Sophia Neophitou, said in February that she'd never walk their runway.
"She's like a Page 3 girl," Neophitou said, referring to the scantily clad voluptuous women featured in The Sun, a London tabloid. "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."
So why haven't more people in the industry rushed to work with Upton?
Our theory is that like Kim Kardashian, the industry is shunning Upton because it prefers waifish models to voluptuous, overtly sexy women.
But Upton has Vogue on her side, and her great looks. Taking her career to the next level will be difficult, but it's definitely possible.
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