Kate Upton was told she was "too American" to be a model.
The curvy beauty - who is now one of the most recognizable pin-ups in the world - was outraged when she was initially rejected from a major agency who assumed she would be too "lazy" because of her nationality.
She revealed: "I'm not going to name names, but one agency told me, 'You're too American, and everybody knows American women are lazy.' I was so offended! I've never been so offended!
"I was like, 'You know that you're in America, right?' And it wasn't 'American models' - it was 'American women are lazy', period! I feel like a lot of women would disagree with that. A lot!"
Kate, 21, headed straight to International Management Group - which is home to supermodels Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen and Karlie Kloss - after the shocking rejection, and was signed on the spot.
She enthused: "I walked in and they said, 'You're so American, which is great. You're exactly what we're looking for!' A totally different response, and I was like, 'That's who I'm signing with'."
Like many of her fellow models, the wholesome-looking blonde has embraced the power of Twitter to engage with fans - but top clients have been less impressed with her love of the social media site.
Kate told Vanity Fair magazine: "Negative comments come all the time, but they've numbed me out. I don't even notice it anymore. I enjoy Twitter.
"I have periods where I'm always tweeting, and then I'm dry for a while. Clients have caught on, and they're like, 'Do not tweet anything on this set!' and I'm like, 'Aaaaaaagh!' "
Tagged in Gisele Bundchen Kate Moss Kate Upton