Heidi Klum shares photo of herself at ’17 dreaming about being a model’ as a brunette

Heidi Klum started her modeling career after winning a $300,000 contract with New York City’s Metropolitan Models at 18-years-old. 

After beating out 25,000 contestants in a German beauty contest, the 48-year-old former Victoria’s Secret Angel went on to become one of the most successful models in the world. 

Still, just a year before her big break in 1990, the America’s Got Talent judge revealed she was just a teen ‘dreaming about being a model’ via Instagram. 

After unearthing a few photos of herself at 17, the mother-of-four quickly shared the throwbacks with her more than 8.9 million followers on Friday.   

‘I went a little heavy on the lipliner,’ she joked in the caption of her classic ’90s makeup, which also included a lot of eyeliner and blush. 

The Project Runway alum wore a delicate pair of gold earrings and a blue sweatshirt layered over a white polo. 

She also rocked a white hat over her naturally brunette tresses, which were pulled back in a low bun. 

At 21, she appeared on the cover of Mirabella magazine and within the next few years was featured in Vogue, ELLE, and Marie Claire. 

After appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s 1998 Swimsuit Issue, she became one of the founding Victoria’s Secret Angels the next year. 

This year, Klum’s 17-year-old daughter Leni made her debut as a model on the cover of Vogue Germany with her mom. 

Earlier this week the rising runway star told Elle that she was not really nervous when she walked her first runway show for Dolce & Gabbana this year in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square. 

‘I honestly wasn’t that nervous. I sort of just winged it,’ said Leni whose birth father is Flavio Briatore, 71, and whose adopted dad is singer Seal, 58. 

Also during the interview it was noted that Leni has started a project with Plant-for-the-Planet called Klum Forest to plant trees in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

This summer, Heidi reminded her daughter it’s ‘okay to say no’ to modeling jobs.

The Making the Cut star said the most important advice she has for the teenager is to make sure she never does anything she doesn’t want to do.

She said: ‘I said to her, at the end of the day you have to be happy with yourself. And don’t do anything you don’t want to do. It’s okay to say no. You don’t always have to please people. But I’m always with Leni. And she has a very good head on her shoulders.’

Heidi – who has Leni, as well as Henry, 15, Johan, 14 and Lou, 11, with her ex-husband Seal – also heaped praise on her daughter for taking charge of her career, and said the teenager has ‘so many things in the pipeline’.

Speaking to People magazine, she gushed: ‘It’s a fun thing for her to do. She’s not afraid of cameras because she’s always come to my sets and my shows. She’s quite strong in the sense where she plays with it! I’ve been helping her with deals and she has so many things in the pipeline. It’s really exciting. She’s doing the things I was always dreaming to do!’

Meanwhile, Heidi’s ex Seal recently said he isn’t fond of his daughter’s modelling ambitions, because it ‘seldom’ ends in happiness.

He said: ‘That’s a precarious road to take.’

But his kids are ‘just not all that impressed’ by his own career.

He added: ‘We never really talk about my music at all.’

Seal also admitted keeping the kids grounded has been ‘challenging’ because he and Heidi – who he split from in 2012 – don’t work together as a team when it comes to raising their brood.

He said: ‘It can be challenging. It requires teamwork. If you are a team, if both parents are a team, then it’s really easy and that’s not a real challenge at all. … But you have to be a team. And if you’re not a team, then it can all fall to pieces.’