The Unexpected Career Path Cheryl Tiegs Would Have Chosen If Not For Modeling

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

These days, it's nearly impossible to separate Cheryl Tiegs from her career as a model. However, Tiegs' career path was all about serendipity. While her interest was piqued after listening to a presentation at school, her early modeling experiences had her thinking it was more a hobby than a way to pay the bills. "I started out doing many things for free, and in total I may have made about $5, but I loved it and was having a ball," Tiegs recalled to Westlake Malibu Lifestyle.

Tiegs couldn't have foreseen how lucrative modeling would be, or that she would be dubbed America's first "supermodel." Instead, she fully expected to have an entirely different long-term career. "I'm a voracious reader and always wanted to be a librarian," Tiegs informed the Naples Daily News in 2014.

Even as her career path diverged, Tiegs channeled her love of books in other ways. In 1980, she and Vicki Lindner co-authored "The Way to Natural Beauty." The book contained tips on makeup, fashion, and fitness, as well as a candid exploration of the ups and downs of her early modeling career. Tiegs even used her celebrity to support a library in Montauk, New York. In 1981, Tiegs married photographer Peter Beard, who had a home in the area. Soon after, the new couple attended Montauk Library's Book Fair, where Tiegs offered plenty of autographs. Tiegs even signed posters, which likely included the famous pink bikini photo that had become a bestseller a few years earlier.

As Cheryl Tiegs noted in her book, "The Way to Natural Beauty," she also considered teaching or nursing. However, once she started modeling, she kept returning to it. Although Tiegs thought she was done in her early twenties, she soon changed her mind. "I got a call from one of my former clients," Tiegs wrote. "I immediately said yes, and I know that whatever the future may bring, I'll never take early retirement again."

Happily, Tiegs returned to find more opportunities than ever, and by 1972, she was the most popular supermodel. By 1978, she got a lengthy feature in Time magazine, which divulged that the advance from her book was $65,000-$70,000. Tiegs flexed her entrepreneurial skills even further by partnering with Cover Girl and Sears. Tiegs helped reinvigorate Sears, and the retail giant sold Tiegs' clothing line. Tiegs modeled her fashions in the retailer's catalogs and TV commercials, earning approximately $6 million per year in the early 1980s. "I was the first model to have done clothes for the mass market, and I'm proud of that," Tiegs informed Westlake Malibu Lifestyle.

However, Tiegs is aware there's more to life than work. Even though she never became a librarian, Tiegs hasn't forgotten the power of books, and she's noted that she takes time to read every night.  "Do something that makes you happy. I love reading," Tiegs advised Artful Living in 2017. For Tiegs, books are an essential component of successful aging, since they support her well-being.