overall rating	89

Indeed Laetitia catapulted to the top of the fashion world, in what seemed like record time, only to leave the industry by the wayside now. Laetitia is in the middle of starting a family, and with a budding movie career, she seems to have gone into semi-retirement from appearing in the world's most prestigious publications.

Regardless of her future career plans, one thing is for sure; Laetitia Casta is one of the sexiest women in the world, with some of the most beautiful curves this side of the Californian coastline. It is almost impossible to ignore the physical specimen that is Laetitia Casta, and nearly improbable that any red-blooded male hasn't at one time or other drooled over Laetitia's considerable assets.

Her career includes work for almost all of the major fashion players in the world. Among her major work is a worldwide ad campaign for Guess? whom she signed with in 1993; Victoria's Secret catalogs and television advertisements from 1996 on; and appearances in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition in 1997, 1998, and 1999.

Her peak can probably be traced to a memorable August 1998 Rolling Stone magazine cover, in which Laetitia wore nothing but her smile. Not only did the cover (usually reserved for respected musicians) cement her status as a pop icon, but it introduced her to a whole new segment of the population unaware of her astonishing beauty.

Needless to say, we at AskMen.com are very much aware of Miss Casta. All you need to do is look no further than who we, along with our readers, selected as the most beautiful woman in the world for 2000.  

personality & talent	81

Laetitia is a shy woman, and at times a little immature. It can be painfully apparent at times that she was plucked from a normal life at the age of 15, and launched into the hubris and craziness of the fashion world without any formal preparation.

But even her flaws make her endearing. Her frankness and honesty can only be seen as an extension of her stolen teenage years. In all honesty, we wonder how many men out there even care about her personality, or are even reading this (wipe your drool boys, they are only pictures).

sexiness	98

Let's be very, very frank; Laetitia Casta takes our breath away. Everything from her eyes and lips, to her legs and toes makes us wiggle with joy. She is as close to perfection as Mother Nature intended a woman to be.

She is at her best when she strikes a pose and gives one of her trademark long, piercing stares. And at her best, she is unquestionably among the sexiest women alive.

accomplishments & fame	94

Laetitia has over 100 major magazine covers to her credit, including very lucrative and high-profile advertisements for L'Oreal, Yves St. Laurent, Ralph Lauren, and Revlon.

Recently, she also signed a multi-million dollar deal with Diamonds.com, which included the much vaulted (and over-hyped) stock options. In fact, there was a mini-controversy over those Diamond.com ads when publishers and billboard companies refused to carry it because Laetitia was a string of pearls away from being nude.

Laetitia's vast amount of work has earned her a place among the fashion industry's all-time elite, and has netted her a fortune that she is more than glad to save. (She has a reputation as a miser. When you get everything in life for free, of course you are going to save a lot of money).

Her new passion for acting has led her to several movie roles (though critical acclaim for her performances hasn't been as forthcoming as for her looks). Among her notable films are the live-action version of the beloved cartoon Asterix, Gypsy along side Naomi Campbell's ex Joaquin Cortez, and Savage Souls that got a savage reception by critics.

natural beauty	95

By all standards, at 5'7" she is not imposing, but her natural beauty is readily apparent to the untrained eye (even if her famous curves seem to be hibernating).

The ultimate testament to her great looks was when France's mayors chose Laetitia as the face of "Marianne," the official symbol of France that is used in busts, coins and stamps.

There are those of course with nothing better to do than criticize her smile and her teeth. She doesn't have a Colgate smile, but dismissing her because of her teeth is akin to criticizing Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa because the woman pictured is ugly.

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biography

Born the 11th of May, 1978, Laetitia Maria Laure Casta is the middle child to father Dominique and mother Line. Dominique, raised on the island of Corsica, moved to Normandy where he met Laetitia's mother. Laetitia (which means "joy" in Latin) enjoyed drawing and writing stories at an early age, and admits that she was quite a daydreamer in grade school.

Although she surprisingly didn't attract many males while in school and recalls feeling awkward and self-conscious, her luck began to change at age 15. Laetitia was discovered by a photographer and an agent from an important Paris modeling agency, Madison Models, while on a beach near Corsica.

sheer beauty

After her father finally agreed to the agency taking some test photos of Laetitia, it took the founder of Madison Models no time to see her unmistakable potential; she didn't even need the help of makeup or nice clothes, as she came to the photo shoot in jeans and a T-shirt. Laetitia's career took off when the extremely busy director of the French edition of Elle was also impressed by Laetitia's looks.

Modeling contracts and appearances in magazines quickly ensued. In search of another star, Paul Marciano -- founder and art director of Guess? and credited for the success of Claudia Schiffer -- was immediately taken by Laetitia's perfection. Thanks to Marciano, Americans had the luxury of getting acquainted with Laetitia for her work in the Guess? ad campaign. Her work as the Guess? Girl was her debut advertising campaign.

Next came her work with Victoria's Secret, in 1996. Laetitia graced many covers of the Victoria's Secret catalog, featured as one of the Angels, the name attributed to the other four models of the company.

In 1997, Laetitia joined the ranks of fellow models by appearing in the popular Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, for a total of three consecutive years.

hottest thing alive

One year later she was honored by Rolling Stone, who named her the hottest model of the year, and placed a nude Laetitia on the cover of their "Hot" issue. Although this was not the first time the magazine had featured a nude celebrity on the cover, it was considered the most controversial issue.

In addition to Rolling Stone, Laetitia has graced the pages of many magazines, including the Italian edition of Glamour; Vogue; and Cosmopolitan, to name a few.

Guess? and Victoria's Secret weren't the only modeling contracts signed by Laetitia. She became a spokesperson for the cosmetics company L'Oreal in 1998, following in the paths of fellow model Kate Moss and actress Jennifer Aniston.

One of the biggest highlights of Laetitia's career is her relationship with designer Yves St. Laurent. The designer has considered Laetitia an inspiration since 1998, and consequently the outfits she wears to public appearances are all personal Yves St. Laurent creations.

Her appearance in the exclusive Pirelli calendar -- considered a collector's item because of the beautiful shots by only the best photographers -- can also be considered one of Laetitia's accomplishments. The 1999 issue, themed "Women Through the Decades," features Laetitia as representative of the women of the 1950s.