“Six Foot Two Giraffe From the Lou”.
While this is how Karlie Kloss introduces herself through her Instagram bio, there is so much more to her as a person. She is a sister. A fashion model. A student. A coder. Her rise to fame originated from her career as a model, but she has since used her fame to teach, work with, and empower young girls. As it is National Women’s Month, I would like to take a minute to appreciate Karlie Kloss for her accomplishments and how she became one of my role models.
1. Karlie has developed a strong work ethic since she was discovered at a young age.
Karlie Kloss was first discovered when she was 13 years old, and soon after, launched into the spotlight. During New York Fashion Week in 2008, Karlie walked a total of 30 shows including 3.1 Phillip Lim, closing Marc by Marc Jacobs, and opening Carolina Herrera. Since, Karlie Kloss has appeared on the cover of Vogue 36 times and continues to grace the runway, including the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. Even now, Karlie’s work ethic remains strong as ever.
2. Even though she has established herself as a celebrity, Karlie still pursues higher education.
As Nelson Mandela once said, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” In September of 2015, Karlie began school at New York University during the height of her modeling career. Personally, I admire her for pursuing education despite already having a successful career and making a name for herself.
3. She uses her fame to support women’s education.
Much like she pursued her own education at NYU, Karlie uses her name to support education for other women. In fact, Forbes recognized Karlie in the “30 under 30” Class of 2018. Her candidacy was driven by her program “Kode with Klossy”. Keep scrolling to learn about her incredible initiative!
4. Karlie was so inspired by and interested in coding, she began Kode with Klossy to teach other girls.
By pairing with Teach for America, Kode with Klossy teaches software engineering and programming language to 1,000 girls in 25 cities and 50 programs across the United States. Karlie’s program is empowering women in science, a field that begs for equal representation between genders.
5. Karlie has also given back through her sweet treats which are appropriately named “Karlie’s Kookies”.
I admire Karlie for using her fame to advocate for others through partnerships with organizations such as FEED. Karlie created vegan and gluten-free treats, “Karlie’s Kookies”, whose proceeds go towards the initiative to fight hunger worldwide. While Karlie raises awareness for world hunger, she simultaneously proves that, yes, supermodels eat cookies, too.
6. Karlie shares her life through her YouTube channel, “Klossy”.
Something I admire about Karlie is her transparency with her fan base and supporters. The insight into her life, between her travel, projects, and friendships, show how genuine she is. Ultimately, I think her authenticity leads people to gravitate toward her, which has certainly added to her success.
7. Besides modeling, Karlie has a variety interests and hobbies.
When Karlie first came out with “Klossy”, I (almost) religiously watched her videos and learned she’s passionate about fitness, understandably, but posts plant-based or gluten-free recipes which reflect my own style of cooking. And of course, she shares videos with her dog named Joe. This insight adds a “human element” to the famous supermodel and makes you think “huh, I guess she IS kind of like us”.
Although Karlie Kloss is a supermodel, the values and behavior she exhibits in her life can be applicable to everyone. Especially during National Women’s Month, let’s take a moment to empower other women and empower ourselves. Take the time to discover initiatives you support, expand your education, or simply find a community of strong women. Because let’s remember…. who runs the world? Girls.
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