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You’ve probably seen the photos floating around Instagram or Pinterest. A tall, blonde girl with high cheekbones, wearing a structured Chanel suit or posing in a mid-century kitchen. It’s Martha Stewart, but not the Martha we know today. Long before she became the billionaire queen of domesticity, she was a professional fashion model. Honestly, the photos are kind of a shock if you’re used to seeing her in a denim button-down holding a copper pot.
She was good. Really good.
Most people assume she just fell into the lifestyle business, but her early years as a young Martha Stewart model provided the actual capital—and the thick skin—required to build an empire. We aren’t talking about a few amateur snapshots here. We’re talking about national television commercials and high-fashion spreads in New York City while she was still a teenager.
The Side Hustle That Paid for Barnard
Growing up in Nutley, New Jersey, Martha Kostyra (her maiden name) wasn't exactly born into the Hamptons lifestyle she eventually came to define. Her dad was a pharmaceutical salesman, and her mom was a teacher. Money was tight. By age ten, she was babysitting for New York Yankees players like Mickey Mantle.
By 15, she landed her first real break: a television commercial for Unilever.
When she got into Barnard College in Manhattan, she didn't have a trust fund to lean on. She had a partial scholarship, but New York City in the early 1960s was expensive even then. So, she leaned into modeling. She signed with the Stewart Talent Agency (ironically, before she even married Andrew Stewart) and later worked with Ford Models.
The pay? About $50 an hour.
That sounds like a decent rate today, but in 1961, it was an absolute fortune. Adjusting for inflation, that’s roughly $500 an hour in today’s money. Martha has famously said that she "got enough modeling jobs" to pay for her entire tuition and living expenses. It wasn't just a hobby; it was a business. She was a student by day, studying European History and Architectural History, and a professional model by night (or at least during her breaks between classes).
What Brands Did Young Martha Actually Model For?
It’s easy to look back and think she was just a "commercial" face, but the client list was actually pretty prestigious. She wasn't just selling soap.
- Chanel: This is the one that always surprises people. One summer, she did a stint with Chanel while Coco Chanel herself was still at the helm. She even walked away with some Chanel garments that she apparently still has in her closet.
- Clairol: If you see photos of her with perfectly coiffed, voluminous 60s hair, it was likely for a Clairol ad.
- Breck Shampoo: She was a "Breck Girl," which was a huge deal in the mid-century beauty world.
- Tareyton Cigarettes: A sign of the times, sure, but she appeared in print ads for them.
- Lifebuoy Soap: Another classic American brand that loved her "wholesome but sophisticated" look.
In 1961, Glamour magazine even named her one of the "10 Best-Dressed College Girls" in America. She was the representative for Barnard, and if you look at that specific photo, she’s wearing a tailored suit and looks like she’s ready to run a boardroom. Even then, the "boss" energy was there.
Why the "Young Martha" Aesthetic Is Trending Again
There is a specific reason these old photos keep popping up in your feed. It’s the "Old Money" aesthetic that has taken over TikTok and Pinterest.
Young Martha Stewart represents a very specific, unattainable version of 1960s Americana. It’s the structured coats, the lack of "fast fashion" clutter, and a face that looks classic rather than "Instagram-face" trendy. She didn't have a team of stylists back then. She often did her own hair and makeup for shoots, which she credits for teaching her the technical side of television production later on.
Basically, she was her own creative director before that was a job title.
The transition from modeling to Wall Street (she became a stockbroker in 1967) and then to catering might seem random. It’s not. Modeling taught her how to present an image. Wall Street taught her how to scale a business. Catering was just the place where those two skills finally collided.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Career
People love to say she "got lucky" or that she was just a pretty face who married well. If you look at the timeline, she was the one supporting the family early on. When her father lost his job, her modeling income kept the lights on.
She also wasn't a "waif" model. At 5'9", she had a presence that was more "stately" than "edgy." This helped her avoid the burnout many young models faced. She treated it as a job. When she got pregnant with her daughter, Alexis, in 1965, she simply stopped. No dramatic exit, no "where are they now" phase—she just moved on to the next hustle.
Looking Back at the Legacy
In 2023, Martha came full circle by appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at age 81. She became the oldest model to ever grace the cover. When people asked how she felt, she basically shrugged and said she’d been doing this since she was 15. The poise you see in that swimsuit photo? That was forged in the 1960s, posing for $50 an hour between History 101 and Architectural Theory.
How to Use the "Martha Method" for Your Own Brand:
- Treat your side hustle like a business. Martha didn't just "model"; she tracked her hourly rate and used the capital to fund her education.
- Learn the technical skills. Don't just show up; learn how the lighting works, how the makeup is applied, and how the "image" is built.
- Don't be afraid to pivot. A career in modeling doesn't mean you have to stay in fashion. Use the confidence and the network to move into something you actually own.
If you’re looking to find these archival photos for your own mood boards, search for "Martha Kostyra Barnard" or "Martha Stewart 1960s Breck ads." You'll see a woman who was clearly going somewhere, even if she hadn't quite decided that "somewhere" involved a billion-dollar media company yet.
