Even though pretty much everyone expected Kate Upton to be this year’s Sports Illustrated cover girl, once the cover happened with Kate and her Photoshopped mons, people started hating on this 19-year-old girl right and left. It wasn’t even anything she had done – she was criticized for her downmarket “look” and for not having the super-skinny high-fashion “look” that goes well with editorials. Kate responded to those criticisms pretty well, saying that she’s happy with her career as-is, and that she loves her curves and she thinks she’s a healthy body-image role model.
Well, you knew that wasn’t going to be the end of it. Page Six reports that when Kate and the other SI models were in Las Vegas last month, the other models Mean Girl’d her. Poor Kate.
Rival models already have the knives out for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover beauty Kate Upton. There was a frosty atmosphere during a launch event last month in front of Caesars Palace in Vegas for this year’s issue.
Sources said when the 18 SI models, including Izabel Goulart, Irina Shayk, Chrissy Teigen, Anne V., Genevieve Morton and Julie Henderson lined up for a photo, Upton, standing on one side, was asked to move to the middle of the group by a producer.
Upton, at first, was hesitant but moved after further prompting. But some of the ladies at the shoot weren’t pleased at making space — an onlooker said one model rolled her eyes while another mumbled under her breath.
When Upton asked what she said, the model snapped, “Don’t worry about me, honey, cause I’m not worrying about you!” A rep for Upton didn’t get back to us.
An SI rep said, “If there were words exchanged, it’s news to me. Kate was elegant and a complete force of spirit throughout the launch.”
[From Page Six]
Bitchy models will be bitchy models. Haters gonna hate. These girls are just jealous. I know everyone says “Just jelly!” when someone is hatin’, but in this case, it’s true. Those girls wanted the cover. They wish they had Kate’s buzz. And they probably think Kate is “downmarket” too. Poor Kate. She’s only 19 years old for goodness sake.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
women can be really nasty and bitchy sometimes. envy is such a bad choice in life.
I agree, we’re our own worst enemies
I agree completely Helvetica! Women can be so nasty to other women that in some way threaten them. It’s really sad. I think she is beautiful and seems really down to earth, which is attractive as far as I’m concerned.
Agreed! On sooo many levels
Sheesh….they need to get over themselves and leave her alone.
She’s pretty, but I can’t imagine other girls being jealous of her. Maybe they were hungry? I’m a grump when I haven’t eaten;-)
All of the Kate bashing reminds me of a story that my Grandmother told me. My Grandfather’s mother spoke to him about my grandma when they were dating, “No decent woman would have breasts THAT big”.
Sadly, many women still bash other women based on their body shape and type. Very sad, especially when it is women-on-women snark.
OMGWTFBBQ?
Like being blessed with a bountiful bosom predisposes a chick to being indecent?
We don’t pick our natural knockers, they pick us.
idg why people are slut shaming big breasted ladies. especially when they’re clearly naturally endowed. do these morons actually believe that women “choose” their physical appearances? because if i could i would choose to look like the love child of michelle p and pamela anderson.
idgi either! she’s very pretty and natural looking… seems confident. so maybe that’s the problem lol, if not for the fact that she’s in a healthy and reasonable weight
i don’t know much about this girl, but as a mother with daughters, I appreciate the celebration of a model who looks like the girl next door–someone with a realistic, healthy body.
I don’t like this Kate Upton one bit but I never thought about it like that.
There is nothing special about her IMO but I could see her being a positive role model for girls since she does literally look like the girl next door.
Have you seen her SI Swimsuit cover? No offense but that`s what a positive role model is for a mother with daughters? Being nearly naked at the age of 19 on a cover? Ok…
if you read my post more carefully, you’ll see I never said ‘role model.’ I don’t think models should be ‘role models’ for girls. I said I appreciated the celebration of a model that doesn’t look like an anorexic.
That kind of behavior is uncalled for, but there are plenty of women out there who share Kate’s body type but are far prettier. I don’t get the hype about her at all.
Though there are exceptions, women should be allies and not enemies. There is something about Kate that’s sparking envy. She’s pretty, cute figure, and happy with herself. And she’s YOUNG. What’s downmarket? Some of these women look like hawks or ferrets in real life, but seem to photograph well. Jealousy is stupid.
I’d like to know what is “downmarket” about her, too. This isn’t the first time I’ve read of her being described this way. What’s downmarket – her looks, her body? I don’t get it.
I think ‘downmarket’ means she doesn’t have the look of high fashion, you know typical eastern European models, skinny bony bod, wide blue eyes, high cheekbones, narrow hips and flat chest.
I think they mean “downmarket” in the sense that her looks can be found in any mall around the world especially in the south. Her beauty does not stand out like say Angelina Jolie, Frieda Pinto, Diane Krueger etc…
She looks like Anna Nicole Smith’s baby sister.
While I loved that crazy lady, in the modeling world, Anna Nicole was definitely downmarket.
I think they mean “downmarket” as in having breasts and not looking like a boy. High fashion tends to require their models have no hips or breasts…Kate has both.
I think they try to put her down because she isn’t emaciated. I celebrate her for that.
But that’s it exactly- men are not, from what I’ve seen, into these lollipop women with bolt ons. She has that Bo Derek innocent sexiness, all fresh faced and young and curvy and pretty. If she’s not right for high fashion houses, then she’s doing great for things like SI. Good for her.
Meh, alot of men love the idea of models. They love the whole idea of dating a model and bragging about it. She could look like an alien and have no chest, and pretty much resemble a mummified corpse, barely speak English, and they’d still hit it so long as they can drag her around and tell their friends they’re banging a model.
@Jennifer
Most modelling shots are not for men at all, though. The SI ones might be, but the rest are definitely for women. And the way I see it, since it’s for women by women, the jealousy thing plays a HUGE part in the look that becomes popular. “She’s skinnier than me, well I have to get skinnier than her.” I firmly believe that it has nothing to do with what men like.
I think that’s why Kate Upton was a good choice for SI. SI swimsuit is predominantly for men and most men will prefer Kate’s look over your average skele-model. I also saw a comment about Angelina Jolie – most men I know think she’s hideous. Most women I know think she’s gorgeous. Just some food for thought.
Curves? What curves? Salma Hayek has curves! This girl? Not so much, she’s so bland.
Nowadays ‘curves’ means big tits.
I hate that that word just easily throw around in holywood and modeling industry for skinny girl with d cup boobs
Agreed. The girl’s built like Sponge Bob — rectangular. No waist or hips at all, only breasts.
She’s an apple shape; big boobs, slender limbs, narrow hips and little waste definition. Its a hard shape to work with! So, all respect to Kate! I, for one, am rejoicing that there is an apple shaped lady who is being celebrated for her body. It’s damn rare.
I like that although she is a swimsuit model, she wears fairly ~conservative clothing. Not that she’s dressed like a nun, but all of her bits are covered. I love the dress in the top picture!
She dresses like a person with big, real boobs. Real boobs can pretty easily look trashy and/or saggy if you expose them in the wrong ways.
I’m a big Upton supporter even though I think she’s plain because she seems nice and I want more models to look like her. Yeah I know she’s way thinner than the normal woman. But I don’t want models to look normal. I want them to be thin, pretty, and aspirational, without being SKELETONS with tons of plastic surgery. That’s Kate Upton.
Yeah, it’s mean, but if ten seasons of ANTM have taught us anything, it’s not to put yourself out there unless you have an incredibly thick skin. She’s pretty and seems harmless enough, but I do prefer my models to suffer for their art, if you will. If a girl can make a career off a lucky role of the genetic dice without having to live in the gym and starve herself, it hardly seems fair for the rest of us. And maybe the other SI bitches agree with me! 🙂
Also, I will have to call someone a “force of spirit” at some point today…
I think ‘downmarket’ is fashion industry speak for “is actually pretty, instead of looking like a malnourished alien.” I actually think Kate’s pretty bland looking, but I’d definitely rather look like her than most other models that are big right now.
I’ll add that “downmarket” might also mean having larger breasts (real or fake)
LOL Gine,
Right on! Those models are fugly.
I hope her career continues to grow in leaps & bounds.. That’ll teach those other models!
God, she has a beautiful body. And men actually want to curl up with her, unlike the starved skeletons glaring at her from the wings. But, I can’t blame these mean girls, either. Severe malnutrition and constant hunger pangs generally make you grumpy, so they can’t really help it.
Bland? cereal is bland…she is a beautiful girl. SI is notorious for wanting healthy girls on their covers…she kind of reminds me of Christy Brinkley.
Usually I agree with you 100% but I can’t do it when it comes to this girl. From a real model I expect abs and killer legs, like the VS have, I expect hours in the gym and an exotic beauty. I expect to look at her and wish I had that body and that face. With Miss Upton I feel none of these things. She is just “Vanilla”.
I politely disagree. I think the VS girl are beautiful and they have killer bodies however, this is not the imagine we want to sell little girls. The ability to look like that not only takes hours in the gym but imagine a horrendous eating regimen, if you call living off liquids eating. If little girls who are influenced more by this type of marketing, will try to attain this virtually unattainable “look” will either make them develop eating disorders or low self-esteem but most likely both. I think Kate has Marilyn, Bridgette Bardot, Sophia Loren type beauty which most real men will tell you is more attractive than a twiggy model. Kudos to Kate. For a 19 year old she is handling this quite well. It should also go to show that she was picked by the masses not by some grumpy Count Karl “I hate fat people” Lagerfield type fashion person.
In my personal experience, I attained the VS look but I was training for a marathon in Boston. I ran three hours a day, lifted weights for an hour and a half five times a week and lived off chicken, fish and salads. At the end of the marathon I was so relieved that I could go back to relaxing. This also took its toll on my joints no matter how much I did to prevent it.
VS models USED to look like that. Now they look nipped, tucked, injected, jacked, padded and implanted. I was appalled at the last VS fashion show, it was gross.
Kate Upton to me is boring as hell. She’s a cute girl with big boobs. There are a million others out there like that who don’t aspire to be models. There is nothing special about her in my opionion.
I long for the days when models were truly beautiful specimens. The days gone by of Naomi, Chrisy, Cindy, Linda, Claudia, Iman. You know just those women who took your breath away because well they were breathtaking…
They weren’t jacked to high heaven and looked for the most part natural.
OMG! I was just looking at the catalog and I noticed how many of the models had little girl faces. I know they’re technically not underaged, but it really seems like they want the models to have little girl faces.
Miranda Kerr has a gorgeous body, but her face looks like a little girl’s, even though she’s a mom and married.
It creeps me out.
I agree with K. I don’t see what all of the hype is about her, although I do like the fact that she isn’t too skinny. I don’t think she’s exceptionably pretty. Is she the one that became famous because Leo di Capprio was dating her?
Yeah, I don’t get her appeal either. My family subscribed to S.I. for years and I always thought the women in the Swimsuit issue were really pretty. When I saw the cover on the newstand, I thought it what’s up with the “butter face?”. I totally surprised that S.I. chose Kate Upton – there’s no energy or personality, nice body but her look was nothing special and it was photoshopped to all hell (hence the face weirdness). And to everyone who says she has curves: oh, please! Try Tyra Banks on the the 1997 cover.
In fashion everything is labelled and “downmarket” means she could’nt carry the image of high end labels (as Chanel,Givenchy, Prada or Gucci), that she can’t too represent middle-market labels, such as Calvin Klein Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfinger or even Gap or H&M but that her image can perfectly be valuable for downmarket labels (cover girl,Forever 21,jeans labels, casual wear, advertisement, commercials)
Heidi Klum made a very successful career being “downmarket” (she never walked the catwalk or modelled for a high end label but modelled a lot for downmarket labels or commercials)and there is nothing wrong with that, and even being labelled “downmarket” is not considered negative, it’s just the field you would be the more successful at.
All models are labelled, as High end models are never put on SI or in commercials.
Very few models can do everything, that’s why they are being called SUPERmodels, ex Kate moss or Gisele Bundchen can go from high end jewellery to rimmel , esprit, mango or Topshop while being the image of exclusive perfumes and walking the catwalk for Couture shows.that’s why they are so expensive, they can be “cashed in” in everything and has a very large scale appeal to consummers.
It is not a negative expression, just the definition of her market ‘niche’.
Very accurately and succinctly put.
Yup, nice synopsis Funnylilou!
Exactly. She is downmarket. Build from that. Cindy Crawford was sort of downmarket though she did have a high market period. She understand there is a lot of money to be made down market. Embrace it, use it and take it to the bank while you can.
I mean she “understood”. I need a nap.
Models are so mean and jealous with each other. I’ve never been exposed to high fashion models but I knew quite a few who did commercial work in high school, and if someone got a job several of them were going for, boy the “rejects” made “Mean Girls” look nice!
Another funny thing — models only ever give compliments to girls who are blatantly plain/unattractive.
I dont know… none of us are in the position to know if this girl is a chav or what. She seems like a nice girl but usually if EVERYONE is saying youre something then you probably are.
She’s gorgeous! And I guess my husband and I wanna move to the neighborhood where this is ur girl next door! On top of being adorably cute yet still pretty she seemed sweet when I saw her on Ellen.
I don’t agree with the ‘poor kate’ arguement. She is a thin, pretty girl who has her dream job. Why should we feel bad for her?
Haters gon’ hate. She’s gorgeous.
Women can be so cruel to one another. It’s a real shame.
I don’t get the “girl next door” thing and I also don’t get the “my daughters can look up to her” thing. Seriously. I get that this girl doesn’t have the stick-thin 13yr old boy figure, but her body, particularly as pictured on the SI cover is NOT realistic for most girls and holding her up as a “role model” is potentially destructive. Just because she has big boobs and an average face doesn’t mean I want my daughter to try to emulate her. Doesn’t mean I think she deserves the flak she gets, she seems like a nice girl, I just think it’s a mistake to call her “curvy” (ditto all the similar comments) or to tell young girls that this is curvy…implying that the only acceptable “curves” are double-D’s.
I saw her on “Jimmy Kimmel” and I liked her. I still can’t believe she is only 19.
A part of me wonders whether this is due to the way she was introduced to modeling.
This is difficult because I realize SI models are basically the covered up version of Playboy Models but I think when you get into this form of business from internet hype and ‘wanting it’ you may no be fully prepared for the realities of it.
Modeling is a mean girl business, top to bottom, designers are mean, models are mean, owners are mean, agents are mean. The payoff is getting to travel, having your face out there and hopefully a nice sum of money but let’s be clear very few women walk away from modeling saying it was a healthy experience.
I wonder if Kate just pictured the glitz and glamour without realizing that since she was chosen more for her T&A/popularity than her modeling there wouldn’t be a warm reception to her behind the scenes.
Folks talk a lot about VS girls but a lot of them do high fashion, same with SI they’re usually not too busty so they can work the rest of the year with other companies. Kate’s already doing the ‘Paris Hilton – this hamburger makes me soooo horny!’ Hardees commercials.
It makes me kinda nervous for her, that she’s not just being used up for the popularity now while no one really cares if she’ll work a year or two from now.
And models continue to spout “I was bullied, kids hated me” speeches. What utter horseshit. Models. Are. Mean.
On a different note I think whatever work she gets after SI will be most telling. SI went to her because of her popularity and Internet hype.
Now so far I’ve seen her do the Hardees commercial and there was a previous commercial which almost focused exclusively on her boobs.(I can’t remember the brand just the ‘staring contest’ part)
I’m curious whether they’re (agent and such) going to push for her to find other modeling work or if they’re just gonna ride the wave. Internet hype is a dangerous thing to base a career on without something solid behind it. Depending on what kind of work they push for her to get I’ll believe they really ‘believe’ in her and not just want to make a quick buck off her.
Eh I don’t mind her. She’s pretty and she fits with SI, which is not high fashion. And men like curves so I don’t see why her body shape is considered wrong for that market.
Besides at least she’s not Ronaldo’s girlfriend (Shayk) whom only got to where she is because she’s Ronaldo’s girlfriend (before him she was modeling swimsuits in Miami, talk aout budget and I thought LA was the bottom of the barrel). Glad she didn’t make the cover. I’m really tired of all these girls getting to top because of what star they’re sleeping with (looking at you Bar. Gisele gets a slight pass). At least Upton’s making it on her own.
Downmarket = “appeals to the average Joe” as opposed to “appeals to the industry that has decided we need to look malnourished, be hairless and wrinkle-less and forever 16.”
I personally love it when “the people” stick it to the fashion industry overlords and say “hey! we like THIS.”
Of course she’s still super-skinny and waxed and what have you, but there’s a “realness” to her that pisses off the people who make money off of us thinking that the “real” us’s are inferior and in need of $600 shoes.
When did cheap/Playboy looks become “real”? She is as fake looking as they come.
I actually don’t believe this for a second, similar to Zooey saying she was spit on in high school. Cool story bro. We all feel so horribly for you.
You can tell that hetrosexual men have no say in fashion. Kate is not downmarket to us hetro men. She is basically what we all want. Tall, curvy, and funny. She seems happy and fun.
lol – what a transparent bitch! (the mean girl model, I mean).
The only reason to say something like “i’m not worrying about you” is because she is, in fact, worrying about Kate’s success and is overcompensating or trying to push her down.
Not that models are supposed to be smart. But this chick seems dumber than most. Plus shes just meh they could have picked someone better.
Yes, 19 is too young to be picked on. But when she’s 30, CB will have no problem joining in with the bashing.
I think she is called downmarket because her hair is so bleached and she looks kind of like your typical la girl with implants. She doesn’t have a exotic look (or photos exotic) like other girls. On the other hand I think some of the Victoria’s secret models look like men , i.e. Giselle bunchen (sp)
Um…boo-f–king-hoo? You compete with others for jobs based solely on your looks & expect them to be nice to you?
I think Kate is a very pretty girl.The other SI models were just angry, because everyone knows Russian model Anne V wanted that cover desperately…..That’s a shame.
Enough with the blowing kisses already. Girl thinks she’s Marilyn Monroe.
And going by her interviews, if only her IQ matched her ego…
I thought she looked sensational in the Guess ads- not boring or plain jane at all- really striking. Her body looks fab in those pics here of her in the red dress. As for that SI cover- it was just awful- what were the editors thinking? It must take quite a lot of work to make this woman look bad.
I am so confused why people are praising her for having curves, looking like a real women, having a body women can identify with….Look, I’m very much against everything the fashion industry stands for, but hiring underweight, freakishly gaunt and disproportional women was never something that was “hidden”. What bothers me is when a woman is thrown into the spotlight celebrated for being “curvy” or looking like a “real woman”. I appreciate companies trying to get away from the stereotypical look of models, but lets not give too much credit – Models like Kate Upton have bodies that are still far beyond the average woman. I love that Dita recently turned away tiny models in favor of women with some curves, but they STILL are not what real women look like. Seriously, plus-size is considered a size 6!
Is this setting a better example for younger girls not to strive for a stick thin body and embrace their natural curves? Honestly I don’t think so. Models are models because they are more attractive, because they are the “ideal”. Flawless skin, perfect chest and butt, height, gorgeous hair…that package is unattainable for the average girl. As long as photoshop, makeup artists and pretty clothes are tacked on to an already genetically blessed woman, little girls and women will want to aspire that, sometimes at any cost. At the end of the day she’s a model just like any other whose general worth is based on the products she sells because of her appearance.
She is only 19?? Yikes she looks WAYYYY older!
Im not a hater but she does have that cheap Playboy look.
I personally didn’t like Kate’s cover, at all, but that had more to do with editorial choices than Kate. I mean, Why did they choose such a fug picture of the pretty girl! It made no justice to her face and c’mon, how can you even call the small pieces of fabric a bikini? Give her something in her size and she can look classy and sexy! Now the whole cover just looks trashy to me. Again, not pointing the finger at Kate.
But yes, women are bitchy. Women loooove tearing other women down because they are threatened by them.
And yes, I do judge as well, I love it. So I’m no better than others. But I like to think I judge stupid people instead of talented/smart/gorgeous people
It’s funny that naturally large breasts bring out the prudery in people, so that they are objecting to “bleached hair.”
What curves? Oh, you mean boobs, right? Sorry, not gonna feel sorry for a model, especially one who looks like every other model in LA. She’s blonde (cough), she’s got big boobs, no ass and she’s white. She’ll be alright.