She attended grammar school in Portland, Oregon until her family moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where she graduated from Fort Worth Polytechnic High School. Shortly afterward she proceeded to New York City to become a model. She graced the cover on many national magazines, and was selected as the model for the Chesterfield Girl, and her likeness appeared on Chesterfield ads and billboards across the United States. She won the "Miss America Aviation" crown in Birmingham, Alabama, which led her to being hired as a hostess/model for Trans-World Airlines (TWA) before being signed to a contract at Paramount Pictures.