American model who has been dubbed the ‘Next Kate Upton’ in Australia
ANTJE Utgaard, 22, became Instagram famous overnight. Her steamy snaps have earnt her the title of the “next Kate Upton”.
SHE’S been dubbed the ‘Gift from the Instagram Gods’ for her steamy Instagram snaps which she feeds to her 823k Instagram followers on a daily basis.
Playboy gave her the title of the ‘Next, Next Kate Upton’ for her uncanny resemblance to the busty American model, mostly known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
But while 22-year-old Antje Utgaard is “flattered” by the title, don’t paint her as just another blonde bombshell — because this American beauty hopes to be known for a lot more than just her looks.
“I was once aspiring to be like Kate Upton, I love her and I’ve always been a fan of hers,” Ms Utgaard, who is currently in Sydney on holiday, told news.com.au.
“She’s a blonde bombshell and curvaceous and everyone loves that.
“I was extremely flattered when I got the title of being the ‘Next, Next Kate Upton’, but I want more than that and to get in with the acting community because I really do enjoy it.”
Ms Utgaard, who moved from her small home town of Star Prairie in Wisconsin several years ago to pursue her screen dreams in Los Angeles, is part of a new breed of celebrity making a name for themselves on social media.
The bubbly blonde, who now calls Hollywood home, has a healthy following on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and also on her Vine channel.
She hopes her social media status leads her into more acting opportunities — preferably comedy.
“While I want to keep that title [Next, Next Kate Upton] I also want to become something more like Sophia Vergara — to be the hot, funny girl,” she said.
“Or even like Cameron Diaz or someone with sex appeal.
“In the next few months I will hit the million mark [on Instagram], which is a really big number for me.
“But ideally I’d like to get into a comedy series. Something like Friends or How I Met Your Mother.
“That would be really cool.”
Her Instagram feed, which she said alongside Snapchat was her favourite platform, admitted that while she’s only been doing this for a couple of years — if it wasn’t for social media — her life would be very different than it is today.
“Getting more followers was a backing for me to show that I could leave the mid-west and quit college on a whim,” Ms Utgaard said.
“Having social media gave me the guts that it was OK [to move away].
“I had about 50k followers on Instagram and I thought maybe there’s a reason 50k people are following me, and I wondered if maybe I can make the world want to follow as well.”
Ms Utgaard said that while social media has provided a huge boost in her career, she has had her share of trolls in the past.
“I can see how social media is damaging, but not everyone is going to be completely happy with what you do in life,” she said.
When you put it all over the media, people say mean things and people don’t agree with certain things.
“But there’s a lot of ways social media can be beneficial, especially when in Hollywood. It definitely has given me a leg up, I just kind of brush the hate off.
Ms Utgaard, who hopes to build her social celebrity into an acting career, made the move from her small town to the bright lights of Hollywood when her Instagram page reached 100k followers.
“When I got to LA it became a bit of a flatline [with followers],” she said.
“The first month was extremely hard. I had saved all my money from the summer of bartending and of course I was getting a few things coming in from my social media, but for the most part it was pretty scary.
“Then I woke up one morning and I was all over the news after a Halloween party. I think I had another 40,000 followers and then from there it’s just been growing.”
Ms Utgaard, who said her feed has mostly male followers, has always hoped to pursue modelling — and hopes that she attracts more female fans as she moves into acting.
“A lot of my followers are college boys,” she laughed.
“I am starting to get more women now which is good, because my Instagram is very provocative and I’m trying to clean it up a little more.”
Ms Utgaard, who “prides herself on being all natural” said she wouldn’t discount surgery in the future, and supports people who do make the decision to alter their bodies to some extent.
“I’m all natural and that’s one thing I pride myself on,” she said.
“You see all these people getting surgery, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that and I think you should be able to have the option for changes, but I think there is a point when you have too much and people transform their entire bodies.
“To me I think that’s kind of sad, because I think you should love yourself.”