As one of most successful models in the world, many might be shocked to hear this Heidi Klum in fact, she faced many difficulties early in her career. But, as a retelling of her interviews shows, Klum had to go against several industry norms before she found success.

In a new interview with Klum for The timesthe German model opened up about how difficult it was to move to Paris to pursue modeling after winning a national TV modeling competition in Germany.

“They were thinking, ‘What is she doing here?’ She is so healthy and happy. I was told I was fat,” Klum recalls of the industry reaction. Looking back, Klum knows she was “small” back then, “even thinner than she is today.”

“But the fashion world is obsessed with weight,” she explains.

Fortunately, the pressure never got to his head. “I heard designers talking about my weight, but I never believed it,” she said. “I felt like if they didn’t want me like that, it was hard. I would go to modeling agencies when I first started and there would be a scale and they would measure me and weigh me. In Paris, people said solemnly: ‘There are pills we can take.’

To keep her feet on the ground, she reminded herself why she started in the first place. “I thought I won my modeling competition without being super skinny,” she said. “People at home had voted for me, so maybe ordinary people didn’t want what they called ‘heroin chic’.”

But despite his perseverance, his first experiences were marked by rejection.

“I did endless castings,” she remembers. “Only a few asked me to try on their clothing samples and I just didn’t fit in.” I was 90-60-90 (35-24-35). Clothes stuck to my breasts or my hips. Instead, I did a lot of catalogs, which was good: I made money.

“I bought my first apartment, my second apartment, a house for my parents, my brother and my grandmother,” she said. “I made a good living working 200 days a year, but I also love creating. I wanted to be seen as a canvas and used imaginatively rather than wearing the same boring outfits to every photo shoot.

In 1998, however, Klum was hired for another print job that changed everything: She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. “The magazine was on newsstands, at the dentist, everywhere,” Klum said. “Overnight, I was walking down the street and people were pivoting. The men had tattoos of me on them. It was crazy. At the same time, I became a Victoria’s Secret Angel. The attention went crazy, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Looks like even though it took a few tries, it didn’t take Also I can’t wait for the world to see the star power that is Heidi Klum!

Before leaving, click here to see children following in the footsteps of their model mothers.