Growing up, you probably heard people talk about how history has a tendency to repeat itself. Case in point: these days, women like Kim Kardashian have managed to parlay their beauty into global empires that make them fabulously wealthy. Without diminishing her talents, Kim essentially became wealthy by being pretty, something that might only seem possible in a world of influencers, reality TV, and streaming.
Long before the Kardashians dominated the internet age, however, someone else reigned supreme. We’re talking about Kathy Ireland, the legendary swimsuit model who used her own great looks to become the most successful model in the world.
How did Ireland rise to fame and then become a business titan? What has she been up to now, and just how lovely is this former model now looking? Keep reading to find out!
The world’s most famous swimsuit model
Kathy Ireland is one of those names that might only ring a bell for older readers. That’s because she became famous long before YouTube or even the World Wide Web was a twinkle in a technician’s eye. Back in the ‘80s, Ireland began her career at the tender age of 17. She was a model from 1984 to 1997 and soon became one of the most famous faces in the entire world.
While Ireland had many great modeling gigs, she is mostly remembered for being a cover model for Sports Illustrated. She appeared on the cover a total of three times and appeared inside the magazine far more often than that. In an age when this magazine was the ultimate authority on sports, Ireland became the most famous model to millions of fans who came for the athletic updates and stayed for the bikini shots.
Becoming the world’s richest model
Earlier, we mentioned that Kathy Ireland’s modeling career only lasted for 13 years. That’s a relatively short time when you consider that she was named the world’s richest model by Forbes back in 2012. Therefore, you’ve probably got a simple question: how did she get so wealthy in such a short time, and how does she make money these days?
The short answer is that Ireland became an entrepreneur. Her business is called Kathy Ireland Worldwide, which is fitting considering that she sells everything from fans to fine jewelry all over the globe. The business has been a smash success, and as of 2012, the former model was worth over $350 million. If that’s not impressive enough, the business itself is worth a whopping $2 billion!
Marrying the love of her life
One of the common tropes of movies and TV shows is that women usually can’t have it all. For instance, it seems like every other Hallmark film is about a woman who has trouble balancing a successful business and a successful love life. Here in real life, Kathy Ireland is one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in business history, so these Lifetime tales would have you believe that she must have had to sacrifice her chances at romance to pull this off.
However, Ireland is living proof that you can, in fact, have it all! She married Greg Olsen 37 years ago, and the couple is still going strong to this day. Who is Greg, you ask? He’s an emergency room physician of four decades who also has a full-time commercial fishing business. Maybe Ireland found the real key to success here: marrying someone who is just as ambitious as you are!
Kathy Ireland now looks as beautiful as ever
Many people believe that Kathy Ireland disappeared after the ‘90s. That’s not true, of course…she simply ended her modeling career. But that also meant that she would stop becoming a mainstay of magazine covers and interior photospreads. To a world that mostly knew Ireland through her stunning photos, it’s natural to wonder exactly what this stunning model looks like all these decades later.
We’re happy to report that Ireland looks as beautiful as ever! Recently, she made an appearance at the 40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. At this event, she wore a silk shirt, leather pants, and a matching coat. Another person might have looked like they were cosplaying Batman in this outfit. Ireland, however, made her neo-goth look into something completely her own.
Some powerful mentors helped shape her life
Kathy Ireland may be the most successful model in the world, but how did she achieve this amazing achievement? While the model obviously has killer business skills of her own, she also had a little help on this journey. For example, early in her acting career, she was tutored by Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor.
Another mentor was Jule Campbell, the founding editor of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Ireland attended the premiere of Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue, a documentary highlighting the editor’s momentous career.
The model told Hello about the impact Campbell had on her life: “The entire time I was modelling, I was grateful for the career, but I was trying and failing businesses,” she said. “And I was posing, and then running out of poses, but watching Jule navigate the world, I learned so many powerful lessons, and it’s really because of Jule that I stayed in that industry as long as I did.” Women inspiring women…honestly, we never get tired of seeing it!