Contrary to what you might already think, Jennifer Hawkins isn’t just another model slashie who gets to decorate her bangin’ bod in Cozi bikinis and JBronze tanning products. The quintessential Aussie babe is proving she can go the distance beyond the gene lottery, cleverly capitalising on a pageant-queen moment over 10 years ago while still sticking to her roots.
Just ask the editor-in-chief of entrepreneurial magazine Renegade Collective, Lisa Messenger, who is an advocate of all-things Jennifer. She chose the 31-year-old model as cover girl for the glossy’s second anniversary issue this month because she believes that Jennifer is “a serious entrepreneur to watch.”
“If people still think of her as just a model, I would urge them to look much more deeply into the multi-faceted, multi-talented woman that is Jen,” Lisa explained to theFashionSpot. While modelling might be her calling card, Lisa wants people to see how Jennifer has successfully traversed the industry. “She has used her modelling career and associated celebrity as a springboard to start seriously successful businesses such as JBronze and Cozi Swimwear, and has an illustrious property empire,” she told us.
Photo: Renegade Collective
It was that big crown-wearing, bouquet-holding moment back in 2004 that made her a household name overnight, and respectively made us interested in Laura Dundovic, Rachael Finch and Jesinta Campbell who tried to follow in her footsteps, but you’ve got to hand it to her for making the most out of her Miss Universe win. “It’s not like you just win a competition and you’re catapulted into success. You have to work – hard – or nobody cares,” Jennifer explained in this issue.
And even though she’s lucky enough to look at that face in the mirror every day, Jennifer doesn’t really embrace life as a model. “I’ve never really said that I’m a model as such,” she told the magazine. “I know I am a model at times as an ambassador and spokesperson but I wouldn’t really class myself as that.”
“But what I really love is the unglamorous, nitty-gritty side of business,” Jennifer continued, “I would prefer to be respected for my accomplishments rather than my external image.” Her success spans more than a couple of brands under her belt too, with a property portfolio to die for.
Photo: Steven Chee/ Renegade Collective
Away from the business and property investments Jennifer is also just an all-round good chick, with Lisa describing her as “incredibly selfless, humble and down to earth” and “the real deal.” When you think about it, she’s married to the guy she was dating before her life changed into this fame-filled whirlwind, Jake Wall, and, to us, that says a lot about a person. It really could’ve been quite easy for her to forget Newcastle and everything that came with it for a big sparkly life in Sydney.
Not to mention, she couldn’t have handled her 2004 wardrobe malfunction any better. After treading on her skirt and revealing her bare arse in a G-string during a runway show for Westfield in her honour, she simply scurried off laughing. Down to earth? We think so. “She’s the full package,” Lisa affirms.
So next time you disregard Jennifer as “just another” anything, whether it be a model, designer or fake-tan guru, remember the girl’s come a long way from the pageant arena. She shouldn’t be undermined just because she’s a babe.
Read the full story in Renegade Collective Issue #19, on sale now.
