Kate Upton on How Not Conforming to Fashion or Hollywood’s Ideals Helped Her Stand Out

GLAMOUR: You’re posting a lot of workout videos lately. What’s your motivation?

KU: My trainer [Ben Bruno] is fun and hard-core. We do weight training with cardio in the circuit, and he gets you competitive with yourself and with the other girls who work out with him. A couple of years ago, there was a switch for me. I used to work out to have my hips be a certain size. Now I do it for myself, because I want to be strong. I want to have energy. In my mind I feel like I can beat someone up—I really want to be able to do it! Oh, and I want a nice butt, and if it’s a quarter inch bigger than the modeling-world standard, that’s fine.

GLAMOUR: OK. So a focus on cardio-weight workouts…what else works for you?

KU: You mean diet? Well, eating really works for me! [Laughs.] No, I try to do a sugar-controlled diet and eat lots of protein and veggies. But if I’m craving something, I’ll just have it.

GLAMOUR: Has living with a pro athlete motivated you to work out?

KU: This is probably bad to say, but I’m going to say it anyway: I always thought that baseball players were kind of fat and not athletic. I was really surprised by how athletic Justin was. I wanted to learn tennis, and he goes out and he’s never played before and just beats me. I’m thinking, This is the worst. Who invited you?

GLAMOUR: So you’re competitive. What else keeps you going?

KU: I love what I do—I love fashion. Whatever you wear, it really sets the tone for the day. If I’m in sweatpants, I fully become that person—I’m lazy and kind of a mess. The opposite is also true; fashion can give you confidence. And things have definitely changed in the industry, mostly for the positive. We’re more accepting now. For me, someone like Ashley Graham, who loves her body and is always talking about it, is inspiring.

Fashion Editor: Jillian Davison
Meredith Bryan is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn.