Lifestyle Food These Photos of Young Martha Stewart Prove She's an Ageless Beauty Martha Stewart is the epitome of glamorous — and these throwback photos from her modeling days prove she has always had the "it" factor By Andrea Wurzburger Andrea Wurzburger Andrea Wurzburger is a former features writer at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 24, 2024 02:10PM EST Close Martha Stewart young and now. Photo: Frank Horvat/Condé Nast via Getty; Noam Galai/Getty If there's anything as enduring as Martha Stewart's legacy, it's her beauty. Before the world came to know her as a lifestyle maven and the TV personality of Martha Stewart Living, she was an ambitious high schooler who, at age 15, sold viewers on a "fresh, spicy soap bar" in her first TV commercial in 1956, according to the Instagram fan account Martha Moments. As she previously told PEOPLE in November 2020, Stewart had never dreamt of becoming a model. "My neighbor, a beautiful ballerina, was modeling for Stuart Models, and she had a contract," she recalled. "Her parents said to me, 'Martha, you're so pretty. You should be modeling also.' So I did." Stewart added, "I signed with Ford Models and was immediately signed up for TV commercials. I was the all-American girl. I played married parts when I was 16 years old. I was so skinny and so perfect for modeling, but I didn’t know that I was beautiful. That was my only problem. I knew that I could model, I knew I could pose for pictures, but I was not sexy, and I was not provocative. That feeling never came. It still hasn't come." Though she never knew it then, Stewart's timeless style and beauty would precede her for decades to come — and these throwback photos from her modeling days are proof. 01 of 12 High School Beauty Queen A young Martha Stewart. Don Murray/ZUMAPRESS.com Martha Stewart has always looked elegant and classic, as evidenced by her high school yearbook photo from 1959. 02 of 12 Campus Chic A young Martha Stewart. Frank Horvat/Condé Nast via Getty Known then as Martha Kostyra, she attended Barnard College, graduating in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in history and architectural history. In 2007, Glamour named her one the 10 best-dressed college girls. Stewart described Barnard as "an extraordinary experience" during a Beyond Barnard online event in 2020. "My Barnard education has been one of the most important foundations in my life because it taught me how to learn. It taught me, also, how to teach, and it taught me what made a good teacher because I had great professors," she told the college's former president Sian Leah Beilock. 03 of 12 A Daring Trendsetter A young Martha Stewart. Anthony Camerano/AP/Shutterstock Stewart was ahead of her time. Here, she wears shorts while on campus at Barnard College, a decision that was quite controversial in 1960! 04 of 12 Farming Fashionista A young Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart/Instagram In June 2016, Stewart posted a black-and-white throwback pic on Instagram, writing, "A photo from my modeling days — even then I loved cows and farms and country." 05 of 12 Dazzling in Denim A young Martha Stewart. Susuan Wood/Getty Stewart started modeling at 15 and continued through college. Her clients ranged from Unilever to Chanel. She even made hunting for chicken eggs look stylish! 06 of 12 Dressed for Every Occasion A young Martha Stewart. Evelyn Floret/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Would you expect anything less than perfection when attending a dinner party at Stewart's home? 07 of 12 Fancy Fanny Packin' A young Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart/Instagram A fanny pack and a visor? Stewart knew how to hike in style! 08 of 12 A Gilded Goddess A young Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart/Instagram Where can we buy this gold jacket? 09 of 12 Friends Who Slay Together, Stay Together A young Martha Stewart with a young Oprah Winfrey. Walter McBride/MediaPunch Stewart, alongside her pal, Oprah Winfrey, in 1995 for the Get Movin' with Oprah Spring Training in Central Park, New York City. 10 of 12 Gardening Glam A young Martha Stewart. Terry O'Neill/Iconic Images/Getty Even in coveralls and gardening gloves, Stewart looks fantastic. 11 of 12 Biker Beauty A young Martha Stewart. Terry O'Neill/Iconic Images/Getty Born to be wild! Stewart struck a pose on a motorcycle in this 1990 shot. 12 of 12 Little Black Dress A young Martha Stewart. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Looking ever-so-elegant in a floor-length black gown and pearls, topped off with a glass of champagne!