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Sanders was born in Germany but was raised down south in South Carolina. She began to turn heads early in her modeling career after starring in ads for Free People,
Nike, and Seventeen. As she gained more popularity, she took the jump to appear in high fashion campaigns and even worked with top brands like Moschino,
Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Jeremy Scott, Bvlgari, Roberto Cavalli, and
MCM.
The model is so popular she’s even gained the nickname of Golden Barbie because of her golden skin tone, dark blonde hair, and striking eyes.
“I had a teacher who used to call me Goldilocks in school because of my curls, and my friends used to tell me I looked like a life-size Barbie,” she
told Vogue. “One day, my sister and I were playing around with silly usernames for social media, and we put the two together. ‘Golden Barbie’ had a ring to it that I liked, so I stuck with it.”
She’s a pro and has been in the modeling game for over 15 years, so it should come as no surprise that in 2019, Sports Illustrated named her the
Rookie Of The Year after being featured in the magazine’s Swimsuit Edition. When bestowed the honor, she was happy to follow in the footsteps of cover stars of the past.
“I’m so excited to be part of the
Sports Illustrated family!” Sanders exclaimed. “I love that they celebrate all types of women with different body types from different backgrounds. I can’t wait to be alongside such icons as Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Irina Shayk, Chrissy Teigen, and Ashley Graham, just to make a few.”
To celebrate Sanders’ latest rotation around the sun, CASSIUS gathered some of her most jaw-dropping photos on Instagram.
