The Most Beautiful Model from Each State
When we think of beautiful models, we think of striking features, incredible skin, and a killer body. The best models stand out from the rest, whether they’re walking the catwalk at an international fashion show or being photographed. Here’s a look at the most beautiful model from each state. Let’s get started!
New York: Scarlett Johansson
Johansson was born in New York on November 22, 1984. She grew up in a family of artists, so she was exposed to the acting industry when she was very young. After graduating from Manhattan’s Professional Children’s School, she pursued her career in Hollywood. Scarlett has been a brand ambassador for L’Oreal Paris, and has modeled for Dolce & Gabbana, too.
In 2003, she received the opportunity to act in two films—Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Scarlett then went on to take roles in several other movies, including The Black Dahlia and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Tennessee: Megan Fox
Megan Fox is an actress and model. When she was a teenager, Megan began modeling after winning several awards at the South Carolina American Modeling and Talent Convention. She started her Hollywood career with several minor television and film roles.
Megan made her movie debut in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. In 2007, she co-starred as Mikaela Banes, the love interest of Shia LaBeouf’s character Sam Witwicky, in the blockbuster films Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Fox also played a recurring role in Hope & Faith.
This next bombshell will leave you in awe!
Alaska: Holly Sue Cullen
Holly Sue Cullen was born in Astoria, Oregon. Holly moved with her family to Alaska on Prince of Wales Island when she was two years old. While Holly was in middle school, her family returned to St. Helens, Oregon. She later attended college for two years at Portland State University and studied theater and psychology.
Afterward, Madison moved to L.A. and attended Loyola Marymount University. To pay for tuition, she competed to become a Hawaiian Tropic model. Holly also worked as a waitress at Hooters. Her appearance at these venues led to her getting invited to the Playboy Mansion. After more than a year of visits, Madison asked Hugh Hefner if she could move in.
Alabama: Katherine Webb
Katherine Webb is a model, beauty queen, and television personality. She was Miss Alabama 2012 and is best known for her appearance during the 2013 BCS National Championship Game broadcast. Thanks to her coverage on the BCS National Championship Game, Donald Trump asked her to be a Miss USA judge. Webb also accepted an offer from Inside Edition to cover the Super Bowl XLVII.
Webb appeared on Splash, a diving show where celebrities competed against one another. She landed a spot in the competition after tying for the highest position during the third week of the event, but withdrew due to an injury. She also appeared as a model in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue’s 2013 edition.
This next woman is a total babe!
Michigan: Kate Upton
Kate Upton was discovered after entering a model search held by Elite Model Management in Miami in 2008. She has since been featured in numerous international fashion campaigns, catalogs, and magazines. In 2011, she appeared on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover, gaining further recognition.
Upton has appeared in editorials for Italian, British, American, Spanish, German, and Brazilian Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, LOVE, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and Esquire. Kate has also been featured on the covers of Elle, American, Italian, German GQ, and Vanity Fair.
California: Kathleen Ireland
Credits: Instagram @kathyireland
Kathleen Ireland, born on March 20, 1963, is an author and entrepreneur. She was also a supermodel in the 1980s and 1990s and is known for her appearances in thirteen consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. In 1993, she started a brand licensing company called Kathy Ireland Worldwide, which made her the wealthiest former model in the world.
The company generated retail sales of $3.1 billion in 2021 alone, putting it at number 15 on the global list. Ireland entered the Licensing Hall of Fame due to her business career.
Click to see who’s next on our list. It’s going to get hot!!!
Connecticut: Erin Brady
Erin Brady, born November 5, 1987, is a T.V. host, model, and beauty pageant holder who won Miss USA in 2013. She later represented the U.S. at the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, Russia, where she placed in the Top 10. Erin is the first woman from Connecticut to be crowned Miss USA.
Erin Brady also gave the address at Central Connecticut State University’s undergraduate commencement. Brady graduated from Portland High in 2005. She graduated with a degree in finance and a minor in criminal justice.
Florida: Krissy Taylor
Krissy Taylor was born in Miami and started modeling at the age of eleven after accompanying her sister Niki to castings. Soon, Taylor started walking with the likes of Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer at Fall Shows in Milan. She began getting calls from Italian Glamour, ELLE, Y.M., Cosmopolitan, and Vogue to work solo, given her impressive résumé of credits.
Taylor, aged 17, was found unconscious on July 2, 1995. After attempts to revive her by her family and authorities failed, Krissy was rushed to Memorial Hospital West, where she was declared dead at 5:39 a.m.
Colorado: Heidi Montag
Heidi Montag, born September 15, 1986, is a reality T.V. personality, singer, and actress. She grew up in Colorado and befriended cast member Lauren Conrad after moving to L.A. with her family in 2005. In 2006, Heidi became popular after starring alongside Audrina Patridge and Whitney Port on the hit MTV reality series The Hills.
After she departed from The Hills, Montag auditioned for the role of Megan Fox’s replacement in the third movie of the Transformers series. But, ultimately, she didn’t appear in the film. In June 2010, she began work on her second studio album with producer Steve Morales.
The next slide has one of the HOTTEST models alive!
Georgia: Kim Basinger
Kim Basinger’s mother, Ann Lee, was a model and actress who appeared in several Esther Williams films. At 17, Basinger entered America’s Junior Miss Scholarship Pageant and won at the city level before being crowned Athens Junior Miss.
Despite earning $1,000 a day, she never enjoyed modeling. She said, “It was very hard to go from one booking to another and always have to deal with the way I looked. I couldn’t stand it. I felt myself choking.”
Hawaii: Kelly Hu
Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father was a Chinese immigrant, and her mother was an immigrant from the Philippines. Kelly has had a lifelong interest in singing, dancing, and martial arts since her early childhood.
Her cousin was a successful model in Japan and inspired Hu to follow her example. In 1985, Kelly won the title of Miss Teen USA and competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant, becoming the pageant’s first Asian American winner.
We bet you’ll fall in love with this next model….
Idaho: Margot Hemingway
Margot Hemingway was born on February 16, 1954. She had a successful modeling career, which included a million-dollar contract with Fabergé as a model for Babe perfume. This was the first million-dollar contract awarded to a model. Margot also appeared on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue.
During the peak of her modeling career in the mid-to-late 1970s, Hemingway was a regular attendee of New York City’s exclusive Studio 54 nightclub, often in the company of celebrities like Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol.
Indiana: Ashley Hinshaw
Ashley Hinshaw was born in La Porte, Indiana. She began modeling in her hometown and won awards for her beauty and being photogenic. Hinshaw participated in the national competition for Miss American Coed and was named second runner-up for that title.
She eventually moved to New York to advance her modeling career. As a model, Ashley appeared in ads for Abercrombie & Fitch. She has also judged a beauty pageant on the MTV reality series called Made.
Iowa: Michelle Monaghan
Michelle was born in the small town of Winthrop, Iowa, and graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in journalism. She moved to Chicago after graduation, where she began modeling professionally.
Monaghan modeled for catalogs and magazines in Milan, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United States before she began her acting career. With just a semester left to complete her degree in 1999, Monaghan moved to New York to pursue acting full time.
The next model is a real beauty!
Kansas: Lindsey Wixson
Credits: Instagram @lindseywixson
Lindsey Wixson was born on April 11, 1993, in Kansas. At twelve years old, she was approached by strangers who told her she could be a model. She eventually pursued modeling after being inspired by Gisele Bündchen and Christy Turlington.
Lindsey first signed with an agency in Kansas, Models and Images, which connected her with Vision LA. Her parents took out a loan and drove down to Los Angeles, where she was hand-selected by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia — this was her first job!
Louisiana: Lindsey Pelas
Credits: Instagram, @lindseypelas
Lindsey Pelas was born May 19, 1991, near Independence, Louisiana. Pelas was one of nine children and attended a rural high school before attending Louisiana State University to study history. After graduating, Lindsey worked as a bartender and yoga instructor.
In 2013 she did multiple shoots with Playboy, which began her career as a model. Lindsey moved to Los Angeles in 2016, where she attended the Halloween party at the Playboy Mansion and had an affair with poker player Dan Bilzerian.
Maine: Olga Fonda
Olga Fonda moved to Maine at age fourteen as an exchange student. While vacationing in Los Angeles, she was scouted by agent Paul Fisher who asked her to pursue modeling, her true ambition. After acting in a few commercials, she played a Russian ballerina in the 2009 independent film Love Hurts.
Fonda has modeled since 2007 in Japan, Italy, and the U.S. In 2010, she was cast in Breaking Dawn. She also played Nadia in The Vampire Diaries. Though she’s unrelated to the Fonda family, she had her reasons for adopting that stage name. Olga shared,” it started as a mystery, I’m going to keep it a mystery. There’s really nothing to it but maybe one day I’ll tell the story of how I got my name.”
Kentucky: Rebecca Gayheart
Rebecca was born on August 12, 1971, in Kentucky. When she was fifteen years old, she won a local modeling contest, after which she relocated to New York City and completed her high school education at the Professional Children’s School.
Rebecca also studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute while earning a living by modeling for Campbell’s soup, Burger King commercials, and J. C. Penney catalogs.
This next model is your dream girl!
Maryland: Blac Chyna
Blac Chyna became a model after stripping at a famous Miami club. Her exotic look made her popular. In 2010, Drake name-dropped her in his song, Miss Me. Chyna has also appeared on the covers of Straight Stuntin, Dimepiece, and Black Men’s Magazine.
In 2013, she launched her own online boutique, “88fin.” That same month, Chyna launched her own brand of adhesive eyelashes called “Lashed by Blac Chyna.” In February 2014, she bought a beauty bar in Los Angeles, which offered makeup courses.
Massachusetts: Bridget Moynahan
Bridget Moynahan was born in 1971 in New York. She graduated from high school and then pursued a modeling career despite never reading fashion magazines. A modeling agency signed Bridget after she accompanied a friend to an audition in Springfield. Bridget was chosen instead of her friend.
Moynahan later appeared in department-store catalogs in Springfield before moving to New York City at the age of eighteen and appearing in magazines such as Vogue and Elle.
“It was a crazy world that paid a lot of money. I liked being a model, but I knew it would never last, so I looked into acting,” Bridget revealed about her early days as a model.
Illinois: Cindy Crawford & Raquel Welch
It’s a TIE!
Cindy Crawford was born in Illinois on February 20, 1966. During her sophomore year at high school, Cindy was hired to model for a store. In her junior year, photographer Roger Legel asked to take her picture for publication; the result was Crawford’s first cover.
The positive feedback from the photo convinced her to work full-time as a model. After working for photographer Victor Skrebneski in Chicago and moving to New York City in 1986, she signed with Elite New York modeling agency.
Raquel Welch was born Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940, in Illinois. Raquel graduated with honors from high school in 1958 and then enrolled at San Diego State College on a theater arts scholarship. She won many parts in local theater productions while at the same time working as a model for Neiman Marcus and as a cocktail waitress to make ends meet.
The next model is so underrated!
Minnesota: Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Biel was born in 1982. As a child, she participated in a competition sponsored by the International Modeling and Talent Association in L.A.. She later got an agent and professional talent manager.
At age eleven, she began modeling for print advertisements and appeared in commercials for products such as Dulux Paint and Pringles. After auditioning for several television pilots, Jessica was cast as Mary Camden, the oldest daughter and second-oldest child in the family drama 7th Heaven.
Mississippi: Germany Kent
Credits: Instagram, @germanykent
Germany Kent was born in Greenville, Mississippi. In 1991, she won the Miss Personality Award at the Hal Jackson Talented Teens International pageant in New York, and was crowned Miss Teen Mississippi that same year.
Her stage performance in 1992 earned her a place among the Top 10 at the Miss Teen Mississippi Pageant and also won her a Speech Award. She received an award for Miss Congeniality in 1993, as well.
Nebraska: Moon Bloodgood
Moon Bloodgood was born in Alliance, Nebraska, on September 20, 1975. She became one of the original Laker Girls at the age of 17. She portrayed Rita Shelton in the T.V. show Day Break and Livia Beale in the sci-fi series Journeyman on NBC. In 2005, Moon was ranked No. 99 on Maxim’s Hot 100 list.
Bloodgood had a role in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and starred as Blair Williams in Terminator Salvation—the fourth film in the Terminator series—and its online promotional webisodes.
Go on to the next slide. You won’t be disappointed!
Missouri: Shandi Finnessey
Shandi Finnessey was raised in Florissant, Missouri. While growing up, she had acne, braces, and a mullet and was teased for her appearance. The bullying made it difficult for her to focus on her studies.
Finnessey began modeling with Ford Models in Chicago and Talent Plus in St. Louis as a teenager. She continued to model during her college years, appearing in television commercials, runway shows, newspaper and magazine ads, and high-end fashion store covers.
Montana: Katie Blair
Katie Blair, a Montana resident, won the 2006 Miss Teen USA pageant. She was the first Montanan to win the pageant, which included a one-year modeling contract with Trump Model Management and a scholarship to The School for Film and Television in New York City.
Blair also made a guest appearance on NBC’s soap opera Passions. She starred in Donald Trump’s MTV reality show Pageant Place for a short time in 2012 but was later replaced by Hilary Cruz.
Nevada: Arianny Celeste
Arianny Celeste was born in Las Vegas on November 12, 1985. She appeared in publications such as Maxim, Playboy, FHM, Sports Illustrated, and Fighters Only Magazine. In 2010, Sports Illustrated named her “Lady of the Day.”
In 2015, Maxim voted her “The Hottest UFC Octagon Girl” in the May issue, where she was featured as the cover model. She posed nude for the November issue of Playboy magazine that same year.
New Hampshire: Krystal Muccioli
Krystal Muccioli was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. She started modeling at the age of six. Her early successes landed her commercial modeling roles for McDonald’s, Ford Motor Company, and the New England Patriots alongside athletes Drew Bledsoe and Willie McGinest.
Throughout her life, Muccioli raised thousands of dollars for charities, including the Children’s Miracle Network, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the United Way, and others.
New Mexico: Demi Moore
As a young girl, Demi Moore moved to Los Angeles with her mother. She soon landed a spot with the Elite Modeling Agency. Moore then enrolled in drama classes after being inspired by her next-door neighbor, German actress Nastassja Kinski.
Moore was on the cover of the January 1981 issue of the adult magazine Oui. The magazine cover was taken from a photo shoot in which she posed nude. Demi made her film debut with a small role in the 1981 teen drama Choices, directed by Silvio Narizzano.
North Carolina: Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer was born in Trenton, New Jersey. Schafer has modeled for Prada, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Dior, Rick Owens, Tommy Hilfiger, Thierry Mugler, Helmut Lang, Coach, Maison Margiela, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Emilio Pucci, Versus Versace, Ann Demeulemeester, and Erdem, among other fashion houses.
In 2019, Schafer made her acting debut on HBO’s Euphoria. The series received praise for her performance. She also co-wrote an episode with its creator Sam Levinson and served as co-executive producer.
God spent some extra time creating this beauty…
Ohio: Halle Berry
Halle Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Bedford High School, where she was an honor student, cheerleader, editor of the school newspaper, and prom queen.
In 1986, she won the Miss Teen All-American beauty contest and was first runner-up to Christy Fichtner in the Miss USA pageant. Her interview score was so high that it earned her a place in the 1986 Miss World pageant in London.
New Jersey: Ali Larter
Ali Larter was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. At fourteen, a modeling scout saw her on the street and asked her to star in a Phillies commercial. This led to modeling contracts with prestigious agencies in New York and Japan.
Larter didn’t finish high school because her modeling career really took off. While modeling in Italy, she met aspiring actress Amy Smart. The pair became friends and decided to move to Los Angeles when their contracts expired.
North Dakota: CariDee English
CariDee English was born in Fargo, North Dakota. She was listed with the Academie Agency in Fargo and had previously entered the Millie Lewis Of Charleston Model & Talent Agency competition. After winning the competition, she was placed with Mega Models in Miami, Florida. Before she appeared on America’s Next Top Model, English worked as a photographer.
CariDee was declared the winner of America’s Next Top Model. Her runway credits include JCPenney, Renee Larc, Carlos Campos, Jordi Scott, GM Style Auto Show, Snoopy in Fashion, Honduras Fashion Week, and L’Oréal Fashion Week in Toronto.
Oklahoma: Linda Le
Credits: Instagram @vampybitme
Linda Le was born in Oklahoma to a family of Vietnamese immigrants. She studied hairstyling at Paul Mitchell’s in the U.S. and Toni & Guy in London and Tokyo. After moving back to America, Le began teaching makeup and modeling.
Linda Le eventually started working for Mad Catz as a video gamer. She is also part of a costume and armor prop-making group called Team Mantium Designs, later renamed Medium Industries.
The next model will make you say WOW!
Oregon: Kari Peniche
Credits: Instagram, @kariannpeniche
Kari Peniche was born in San Diego, California, on March 20, 1984. At age 16, Peniche won a six-week modeling contract in Korea. In November 2001, Peniche won the Miss Oregon Teen USA 2002 title. The judges loved her unconventional fashion and career choices.
Kari went on to host Xtreem; a show focused on local bands and extreme sports. Later, she also hosted the Boom Boom Huck Jam event. She launched a line of bikinis at the Portland Fashion Week. Peniche has acted in Small Change and other movies and television shows.
Pennsylvania: Gia Carangi
Gia Carangi ❤️americas first supermodel and a lesbian. so beautiful. pic.twitter.com/fBupuLShLx
— Nara Charlize 🇺🇦 (@naracharlize) September 12, 2022
Gia Carangi was born in Philadelphia. After being featured in newspaper ads and moving to New York City at the age of 17, she signed with Wilhelmina Models. Her first significant shoot was with top fashion photographer Chris von Wangenheim. By the end of 1978 and her first year in New York, Gia was already a well-established model.
Carangi said, “I started working with very good people, I mean all the time, very fast. I didn’t build into a model, I just sort of became one.” She also appeared in campaigns for high-profile fashion houses, including Armani, André Laug, Versace, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent.
Rhode Island: Claudia Jordan
Actress, model, businesswoman, and reality television and radio personality Claudia Jordan was born on November 19, 1975. She appeared as a model in the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, The Price Is Right, and for competing on Celebrity Apprentice. Jordan appeared on the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Atlanta for its seventh season.
Claudia Jordan won the Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 1990 title and represented Rhode Island in a 1990 pageant. She also appeared in music videos for Coolio, Master P, Backstreet Boys, Ginuwine, Joe, Chico DeBarge, Fabolous, Charlie Wilson, D’Angelo, Ludacris, and Kenny Lattimore.
We’re sure you’ll recognize the model on the next slide!
South Carolina: Jasmine Sanders
Jasmine Sanders was born in 1991 and was raised in South Carolina. As a teenager, she started her career modeling for Free People, Seventeen, Nike, and ALDO shoes. Jasmine shifted towards high fashion work by walking the runway for Miu Miu’s S/S show. Sanders has also appeared in runway shows for Moschino, Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Julien MacDonald, Jeremy Scott, and Philip Plein.
Sanders has appeared in editorials for British Vogue, American Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Russia, Vogue Arabia, Allure, LOVE, C.R. Fashion Book, Glamour, G.Q., Esquire, Gap, Victoria’s Secret PINK, and American Eagle.
South Dakota: January Jones
January Jones was born in South Dakota on January 5, 1978. At the age of 18, a modeling scout saw Jones while she was in high school and expressed interest in her. After moving to New York, she modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch, Versace, Clearasil, and Kérastase.
Jones has been on the covers of numerous fashion magazines, including Interview, Rolling Stone, Allure, Town & Country, The Hollywood Reporter, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Glamour, Tatler, Red, Cosmopolitan, Grazia, Tu Style, and G.Q.
Texas: Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate was born in 1943. She was an actress and model who made her film debut in the 1960s after appearing in minor television roles. She was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover girl. She received positive reviews for her comedic and dramatic acting performances and was hailed as one of Hollywood’s most promising newcomers.
In 1961, she made her movie debut as an extra in Barabbas with Anthony Quinn. She also appeared in the horror film Eye of the Devil and then the cult classic Valley of the Dolls, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. In 1967, she starred in The Fearless Vampire Killers, directed by Roman Polanski.
Tragically, Sharon Tate was murdered by the Charles Manson family in 1
Utah: Heidi Mount
Heidi Mount was born in Utah. She began her modeling career at the age of 12. In 2000, Mount signed with Ford Models. In 2004, she made her debut in the international scene by modeling for Yohji Yamamoto’s Spring collection.
Mount has appeared in campaigns for Alexander McQueen, Chanel, GAP, Armani, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Bally, Etro, Barneys, H&M, Hazzys, MaxMara, and Moschino. She has also been featured in Italian Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, V Magazine, Numéro, I-D Magazine, and Vanity Fair.
The next model is a crowd favorite!
Vermont: Maxine Lee Bahns
Credits: Instagram
Maxine Lee Bahns is an actress, triathlete, and model. She is best known for her roles in The Brothers McMullen and She’s the One. Bahns also made an uncredited appearance on the television show The Mentalist as the murdered wife of the main character Patrick Jane.
Bahns modeled for years and has worked for Elite Model Management. During her time as a model, Maxine appeared in several magazines, including FHM, Sports Illustrated for Women, Glamour, Self, and Maxim.
Virginia: Bebe Buell
Bebe Buell was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on July 14, 1953. She’s a singer, model, and actress. Modeling executive Eileen Ford discovered Buell after she graduated high school at age 17. She then relocated to New York at 18. Bebe was Playboy magazine’s November 1974 Playmate of the Month.
Describing her early modeling career, Buell said, “I wanted to be a professional singer, which was why I came to New York—yes, I was a pretty young girl, so I fell into the modeling thing, and I did Playboy, so then the rock stars came a-hunting, as I like to say.”
Washington: Chrissy Diane Teigen
Chrissy Diane Teigen was born in 1985. She’s an American model and television personality. Teigen made her professional modeling debut in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2010 and then appeared on the 50th anniversary cover alongside Nina Agdal and Lily Aldridge.
Teigen was discovered by a photographer when she was 15 years old and joined a local Miami-based modeling agency. In her early modeling days, Chrissy lived in Miami for four years.