Kate Upton Overrated? Supermodel Carol Alt Questions the Hype

Is model and Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl Kate Upton overrated? Supermodel and former SI cover girl Carol Alt told HuffPost Live she doesn't understand what the "hullaballo" is all about.

While never using the word "overrated," Alt was clear she didn't think Upton, who has now graced three Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition covers, was any better than any of the other swimsuit models out there.

"I don't understand the hullaballo," Alt told HuffPost Live. "There are many Sports Illustrated covers and one girl was just wearing a bottom . . . and one just beads. I don't get the hullaballo."

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Alt, who was the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl in 1982 according to United Press International, said she believes Upton is more a creation of social media, such as Twitter and celebrity websites, than anything else that sets her apart talent-wise.

"I think what it is in this moment there is so much social media and that's why she's had more word of mouth than anyone," Alt told HuffPost Live. "I like Kate. She's a pretty girl, but all the girls (models) are nice and all of the girls are pretty. And I think every cover, to me, deserves to be talked about."

It is not the first time Alt slammed Upton. In a Dec. 11 story in Galore, Alt, who has appeared on the cover of some 500 magazine over the course of her career, said she believed Upton is "a product of great media hype."

"Without Sports Illustrated, I'm not sure she would've made it in the industry as a high fashion model. Because she is more of a large size model," Alt said of Upton in the Galore article. "And even if I've seen her in person, and I don't think she's in any way fat or overweight or anything; she's just more large-sized than fashion models are.

Alt continued in the interview to eventually give Upton a back-handed compliment.

"She put together a team of people: agents, managers and publicists that were ready to go, regardless of whether or not she got the (Sports Illustrated) cover," Alt said. "They were willing to take the chance. Once she got the cover, she was already in a position to move forward. Of course, the cover was just a fluke because nobody knows who gets the cover. But she looks at herself as a business, and I admire that."

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