15 Photos of a Young Martha Stewart That Prove She Was a Stunner

Before her modeling career, Martha Stewart did what a lot of young girls do to make some extra money: she babysat. But Stewart was watching some very well-known people's children, including New York Yankees greats Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.

We all know Martha Stewart as a blonde, but it looks like the TV star is a natural brunette. We think she's beautiful either way!

As a young girl, Stewart continued to find modeling work. In fact, she was only 15 when she stared in a soap commercial.

In addition to her soap commercial for Unilever, she worked on other commercials, including an ad for Tareyton cigarettes.

Stewart, a New Jersey native, attended Barnard College in New York City. In college, she modeled to make some extra cash, earning "$50/hour — which was a lot of money at that time," she said.

And with such a svelte figure, why wouldn't she model? She even worked with Chanel!

At 5'9, the statuesque Stewart looked as comfortable on the pages of a fashion spread as she did cooking behind a camera.

While she was in college, she met her husband Andrew Stewart, a Yale student, and they were married in 1961. And despite a successful modeling career, Stewart followed in her father-in-law's footsteps and became a stockbroker.

Her husband, Andrew, ended up starting his own publishing house. Together, the pair bought and restored a farmhouse that was built in 1805. This house would serve as the inspiration for Martha's TV studio on Martha Stewart Living.

Martha Stewart as a businesswoman, author, and host is the persona we're most familiar with, but we do think she would have gone on to a very long and successful modeling career had she decided to stick with it.

Stewart went on to work with Time Publishing Ventures and established Martha Stewart Living in 1990, serving as editor-in-chief.

In 1997, she founded Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and over time she has partnered with brands like Walmart and Hallmark to bring Martha Stewart products and shows to stores and TVs again. Sequential Brands acquired the company in 2015. Guess it's her mix of natural beauty, brains, and ambition that made her the success she is today.