“Could their pasts really be so secret if you know them?” Is that what you’re wondering? Fine. The answer is no. Top-secret or not, what the top supermodels of the 90’s and our current favorite catwalkers were up to before they became famous is still pretty interesting.
The athletes
In case you were idly wondering whether or not life is fair, let us make it clear that no, it is not. Not only are Gisele Bunchen and Doutzen Kroes two of the biggest names in the biz thanks to their stints with Victoria’s Secret, but they were also majorly talented athletes before they went into the world of modeling.
Doutzen Kroes was brought up in North Holland with two champion speed skaters for parents. She biked at least 25 km to school and back every day and was on track herself to become a champion speed skater when she was discovered by a modeling scout and transplanted to New York.
As for Gisele, who was famously discovered at a McDonald’s (think of that next time you’re taking down a Big Mac – it could be your big break!), she was about to join a professional volleyball team when a scout asked her if she’d like to give this whole being a supermodel thing a shot. Spoiler alert: she chose modeling.
The dancers
Naomi Campbell, one of the top supermodels of all time, and Coco Rocha, one of the most major supermodels of the last five years, may have famously not gotten along on their TV show The Face, but they’ve got more in common than they think they do.
Coco Rocha was discovered by modeling scouts while performing at a highland dance competition. She put those skills to good use when she highland danced down a Jean-Paul Gaultier runway a few years ago. It was the show that cemented her status as the first true supermodel since the ’90s.
While Naomi Campbell probably wasn’t impressed by Coco’s moves (is Naomi Campbell impressed by anything?) she herself was a serious dancer, going all the way back to elementary school. At the age of 7, Naomi danced in Bob Marley’s Is This Love music video, and in Culture Club’s I’ll Tumble For Ya video at the age of 12.
The smarty-pants
If you’ve ever taken a look at Cindy Crawford’s net worth, you’ve probably come to the conclusion that not only is the woman stunning, but the woman is smart. And indeed she is. Before she took the modeling world by storm in the ’90s, Cindy Crawford was busy dominating her high school class, being named valedictorian in 1984.