Now I just resent him for patronising me...

Nevertheless, I strongly believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that beauty is indeed a very subjective thing, but at the same token my beholden eye reckons Jessica van der Steen is, however, one of the most elegantly beautiful models this side of Claudia Schiffer.

Despite Belgium lying on the northern border of France and on roughly the same latitude as Great Britain, Jessica has a very Scandinavian look about her, what with the snow-white hair, perfectly symmetrical face and tall frame.

Born on the 9th of July in 1984 in Belgium's second largest city, Antwerp, Jessica van der Steen says that her mother likened her to Miss Piggy, as mentioned earlier, but she even backs up such calls stating that she was even mistaken for a boy when she was young.

How things change...

As a middle teen, Jessica submitted an early portfolio to the Ford Modeling Agency and was snapped up by its representatives like a duck takes to soggy bread. As a teenager, Jessica landed many well-paying gigs, with companies such as Ritchie Swimwear, Rebequinha and others.

Then, aged just 16, the blonde Belgian beauty hit the motherload, appearing on the cover of glossy magazine Ché, and not long after that she featured strongly in the Dutch version of Elle magazine, with everyone wanting to know "Who is this enigmatic femme?"

Today, Jessica van der Steen is an up and coming top model with the potential to conquer the world, though this doesn't seem to be on her immediate agenda. Most models, when they go 'big time', move to one of the world's fashion epicentres, such as Milan, Paris or New York - but not van der Steen.

She's made her intentions clear that she wants to stay in Antwerp for the time being, which some commentators believe could be at the behest of her boyfriend, who remains a closely guarded secret of the Belgian model. Who is this magnetic man? Another Belgian spunk, no doubt.

Of course the 'friends and family' issue also makes for a compelling arguament to stay in her home town, but after appearing in the 2004 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, her profile exploded into the mainstream and as more modeling commitments beseech, she may be forced to depart.

Jessica initially signed with the Ford modeling agency after submitting her portfolio as I touched on earlier in the article, and in addition to the Sports Illustrated shoot, Jessica van der Steen has also worked on campaigns for Dior, Clarins and Tommy Hilfiger.

From here on in, the Jessica van der Steen story promises to intrigue, and it will be interesting to see how she copes with the spotlight, as she's traditionally a very private person. Who knows: perhaps she will shun fame and fortune for a more normal life? And all the more power to her if she does. Who wants cameras poking into their lives 24-7 anyway? The Osbournes maybe, but not many others.

And like fellow Belgian Ingrid Seynhaeve, she's got a lovely name and a fresh look - two things that, in my highly regarded book, bode very well for her future.

by Sara Templeton