Caroline Winberg

By Ines Mendoza

The days seem to roll on and on. And have we learned anything? Well, don't let Kate Moss near your toilet for starters and, as a general rule of thumb, eating three day old chicken is also quite silly and often painful. But more than anything else, I think most can agree on one this one: Swedish girls are sexy.

Ironically, as Caroline is from Sweden, she wouldn't agree or disagree with that comment. Or am I getting mixed up with the neutral Swiss? I don't care because the show must go on -- ladies and gentlemen, I give to you Caroline Winberg.

Born on March 27, 1985 - in Sollentuna, Sweden - Caroline was raised as the daughter of Thomas and Camila, enjoyed a relatively normal childhood and was even something of a tomboy in her youth.

It's an all too common story we hear from the mouths of the world's most beautiful, and sometimes one has to exercise just a touch of skepticism. Things like "I was gawky", "I was a tomboy", "It's icing sugar, I swear!" often come across as token gestures to make non-famous people feel a little less jealous.

But, yes - Caroline was "one of those". In fact, it was en route to soccer training that a scout spotted the 15-year-old teenager and suggested that she consider a career in modeling. Though Caroline always harbored dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, the exotic and exciting world of modeling proved to be an irresistible force (and considerably more lucrative - can you name any famous female soccer players? Me neither...).

Starting her modeling career at the tender age of 16, it wasn’t long before she caught the eye of several well-known modeling agencies -- including Women Model Management, Why Not Milan and Dominique Brussels - and the up-and-coming model soon found herself working high-profile campaigns for notable names such as Valentino, Versace and Armani. In fact, it was Caroline’s burgeoning fame within the industry which quickly allowed a move to New York City, where she began establishing herself as one of the hottest imports around.

By the time she was 17, Winberg joined the ranks as one of the most well-known figures in fashion circles. One such follower who Caroline caught the eye of turned out to be none other than Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger, who reportedly began harrassing her with multiple phone calls after seeing her on the runway in the hopes of arranging a meeting. He was 59 at the time, which is just wrong if you ask me. Did he also fall out of a coconut tree?

In a rare turn of events, Caroline’s parents publicly pleaded to Jagger to leave their daughter alone, with the story soon becoming a worldwide news item. Jagger, however, has repeatedly denied the claims of chasing such a young lady - but the question is, dear reader, who do we believe...?

Quickly putting the scandal behind her, the leggy 180cm tall model devoted herself to her career, taking on virtually every campaign and fashion show on offer, and her success has continued. Winberg has bowled over her colleagues and employers with an unwavering work ethic and there’s little doubt that her preference for sleep over partying has contributed heavily to this, as it seems obvious that Caroline takes her work very seriously. She has since graced the covers of numerous well-known magazines, including all your international favourites such as Vogue, Elle, Flair, and Harper’s Bazaar, plus she's appeared in advertisements for companies such as Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger and Rolex. Caroline’s recent Victoria’s Secret contract is one that she’s particularly proud of, so much so that she calls it her “dream job”.

Although it's generally expected that a model of Caroline’s stature to be - for the lack of a better term - a moron, she has revealed herself to be one of the industry's most surprisingly bright and intelligent figures (one of her favorite movies is the notoriously abstruse Bergman film, Wild Strawberries). “I’m a people-watcher, and I love to take pictures,” she says sincerely, adding that “I like to draw and paint”.

In her downtime, she enjoys reading and simply just hanging out in her local coffee shop, “I like my nice and cozy coffee shops for intellectual and stimulating chats...but also enjoy a nice time dancing on the town.” Though she currently has no plans to leave the hectic business within the fashion industry, Caroline hopes to eventually have children and settle down in her homeland of Sweden.

“I plan to continue modeling at least until I'm 25. What I'll do when that day comes, I haven't decided -- but it feels great to know I'll never have to do something just to make money, that I'm free to choose whatever I'm most interested in doing," Winberg recently said. And that's upsetting to me. It's a sad state of affairs when at the age of 25, your career is all but over. But that's fashion - and when you're making mega millions, an impending 60 year retirement holiday sounds like a pretty good deal.