14 DAY TRIAL // Kate Upton has an official doppelganger: her name is Ania, she’s a 22-year-old student / model from Russia and she’s the latest viral star. Kate herself has acknowledged her on Twitter, which has instantly catapulted her to international fame.
In an age when Twitter, YouTube and other channels can make you a star in less than 15 minutes (and sometimes for less that time), Ania probably never expected to become Kate Upton’s “official” doppelganger, even though she knows they look alike.
It all started when Ania tweeted a photo of herself recreating Kate’s now world-famous second Sports Illustrated cover, the Swimsuit Issue.
It went viral and even landed her a Q&A with Sports Illustrated’s Swim Daily, after Kate herself retweeted it.
Unfortunately, because of its revealing nature, we can’t post it here, but you will find attached to this article a pic from Ania’s Twitter account, which more than confirms that she’s nearly the spitting image of Kate.
In the short interview, Ania explains that she never thought she’d become famous as Kate’s lookalike, even though she’s been doing this for a while.
The amazing reaction she got online surprised her.
“I’ve been told I look like her in the past, but when the SI issue came out and she was wearing the same jacket that is hanging in my closet, I knew it had to be done,” she says.
“The picture – yeah. The amount of attention it got – no way. I didn’t think anyone except my friends would ever see it,” she muses.
What she loves about Kate the most, Ania reveals, is the fact that she’s making it on her own even though she goes against all fashion trends.
By extension, being compared to her must be extremely flattering.
“I’ve been a fan for a while; it’s relieving to see someone challenge the stereotype of rail-thin models,” Ania says.
Also, Ania is not a “mail order bride,” as some media outlets have dubbed her.