Kate Upton Felt ‘Terrible’ About Herself After First S.I. Cover: ‘I’m Not A Toy’

Kate Upton rose to fame after landing the coveted cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition in 2012, but the buxom blonde says the instant objectification it brought caused her emotional turmoil.

“After my first Sports Illustrated cover, I felt terrible about myself for a solid month,” Kate, who was also chosen for this year’s cover, told ELLE in a new interview. “Every single guy I met was either married or about to be married, and I felt like I was their bachelor present or something.

“I’m not a toy, I’m a human. I’m not here to be used,” she added. “I am a grown woman, and you need to figure your sh*t out.”

The sexy 21-year-old star, who will soon be seen on the big screen alongside Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann in “The Other Woman,” said she resents the assumption that because she’s pretty and can strike a sensual pose, she must be easy to get into bed and devoid of morals.

She had a tiny cross tattooed on her finger after one such encounter.

“I was at a photo shoot and I was wearing a cross necklace that my mom bought me, and somebody made a joke like, ‘Why are you wearing a cross? Like you would be religious.’ And then they took [my necklace] away,” Kate explained. “I was really affected by that.”

Adding, “The whole thing made me realize that I do want [a cross] with me, at all times.”

Catch the full interview with Kate in ELLE’s September issue, on newsstands on August 20.

— Erin O’Sullivan

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