Supermodel Kate Upton wowed readers with her first swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated in February 2012, but in a recent interview with ELLE magazine, the 21-year old star opened up about having felt objectified, "terrible" and ridiculed after it hit magazine stands, US Weekly reports.
"After my first 'Sports Illustrated' cover, I felt terrible about myself for a solid month," Upton told ELLE magazine for her September 2013 cover issue. "Every single guy I met was either married or about to be married, and I felt like I was their bachelor present or something. I'm not a toy, I'm a human. I'm not here to be used. I am a grown woman, and you need to figure your s**t out."
Upton also revealed some uncomfortable moments she endured behind-the-scenes of photoshoots. "I was at a photo shoot and I was wearing a cross necklace that my mom bought me, and somebody made a joke like, 'Why are you wearing a cross? Like you would be religious.' And then they took it away. I was really affected by that," she recalled.
Later on, the star had a small cross tattooed on the inside of her finger. "The whole thing made me realize that I do want [a cross] with me, at all times."
Though her career has been very successful so far, Upton reminds us that it isn't always easy, as her image of a sexed-up hot blonde doesn't reflect who she really is deep down.
"People deal with models like they are children. They think they can pull one over on you. It's actually funny," the model told ELLE. "I'm always like, 'I'm about to pull something on you, and you're so focused on thinking I'm dumb you're not even going to know.'"
Despite her discomfort at being objectified and misconceptions people may make about her, Upton appeared once more on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in February this year.
As for her love life and possible romance with "Dancing With the Stars" star Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Upton remained tight-lipped to ELLE.
"I really have never had a serious relationship in the industry," she told the magazine. "I'm just having fun. Obviously I have a very busy schedule at this time in my life, and I don't put relationships as a priority."
Click here to see more photos from Kate Upton's cover photoshoot with ELLE magazine for the September 2013 issue.
