That's Miss Smarty Pants to You

There's a common misconception that models aren't that smart. We've got these stunning faces and nice bodies, but the lights aren't on upstairs. This is an awful stereotype that I want to shut down right now. It takes a really intelligent person to pose with a blank stare on her face. That's a challenge. Ok, but in all seriousness we are not just mindless mannequins. Some of us are actually smarter than the average bear. Did you know Cindy Crawford was the valedictorian of her high school and went on to attend Northwestern University with a major in chemical engineering before becoming a full-time supermodel? Brooke Shields stopped modeling to go to Princeton. Or take long-legged stunner Lyndsey Scott...

She's walked the runway for Victoria's Secret and done campaigns for Calvin Klein and DKNY but she's a major coder. She's got a great portfolio app for models so you won't have to carry around your huge book to castings. So savvy! In a recent profile by Pando Daily, Lyndsey admitted "The industry makes an effort to reduce the model and, in a way, simplify things. The way they marketed me a lot of times was as younger than I am. They wouldn’t talk about my education, they wouldn’t talk about me… In a way I understand. Youth is valued more than a college education."

These aren't tall tales or legends of beautiful women who are ridiculously intelligent. This is real. I'm friends with a model named Michelle who's studying mechanical engineering with a focus in robotics. For the past couple years this brainiac has been doing theoretical physics research and developing models for space sensors. I can't even fathom what the freak that all means. I applaud her for stepping away from the camera for a bit to study and purse this other dream. Keep at it.

Don't let fashion downplay your intelligence. You've worked really hard to acquire that level of knowledge. I'm not saying that you should be a show-off and challenge photographers to a game of Jeopardy. But don't allow people to talk down to you as if they're smarter than you. Be wise about the career decisions you make. Agents will sometimes encourage you to dumb yourself down to get more jobs. But your looks will only get you so far. I think models like Lyndsey Scott are a perfect example of how you can capitalize on both your appearance and your intelligence. Let them know you're a force to be reckoned with. Beauty + Brains = Power