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5 Shocking Secrets About Coco Austin's 90s Modeling Career: From 'Peanut Butter' Hair To Miss Ujena 1998

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The 1990s was a decade of seismic shifts in pop culture, and for Nicole Natalie Austin, it was the foundational era that launched her into the spotlight as the future Coco Austin. Today, December 20, 2025, while she is globally recognized as a reality television star, actress, and the wife of rapper/actor Ice-T, the story of her professional origins in the late 90s is a treasure trove of little-known facts and dramatic transformations. Her journey from a young woman in the mid-90s to a recognized glamour model by the end of the decade is a compelling narrative that set the stage for her "world-famous curves" persona. The early years of her career, specifically from 1997 to 1999, are marked by a rapid ascent through the competitive world of swimsuit and lingerie modeling. She embraced the bold, body-confident aesthetic of the late-90s, quickly establishing herself in a niche that celebrated fitness and curves. These five shocking secrets about her 90s life and career reveal the distinct look, major wins, and surprising style choices that define her pre-fame era.

Coco Austin: Biography and 90s Profile

The woman who would become known simply as Coco started her life far from the Hollywood spotlight, but her drive and natural affinity for the camera quickly put her on a path to a modeling career that began in the heart of the 1990s.
  • Full Name: Nicole Natalie Marrow (née Austin)
  • Born: March 17, 1979
  • Birthplace: Tarzana, California, U.S.
  • Early Life Location: Raised in Palos Verdes, California.
  • 90s Career Start: 1997 (Age 18)
  • 90s Occupations: Swimsuit Model, Lingerie Model, Fitness Competitor.
  • Notable 90s Achievements: First Magazine Cover (1997), Miss Ujena Winner (1998).
  • Key 90s Style: Body-conscious fashion, barely-there bikinis, and athletic footwear.
  • Nickname Origin: Adopted the moniker "Coco" early in her career.

1. The Surprise First Cover: Trading 'Peanut Butter' Hair for Glamour (1997)

Coco Austin’s professional modeling debut came in a surprising fashion, far from the polished look she is known for today. At the age of 18 in 1997, she landed her very first magazine cover. The magazine was *Swimwear Illustrated*, and the photo was taken on location in Greece. What shocks many fans who see the throwback picture is the significant difference in her appearance, including her hair color. She affectionately referred to her look at the time as "Peanut Butter" hair, a stark contrast to the platinum blonde locks that would become her signature. This early success proved her immediate appeal in the world of glamour modeling, showcasing a raw, athletic beauty that was gaining traction in late 90s media.

2. Her First Major Win Was a Fitness Competition (1998)

While often associated with glamour and lingerie, Coco’s first major title was actually rooted in the fitness competition circuit. In 1998, at the age of 19, she entered and won the prestigious Miss Ujena contest. The pageant, held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was a significant victory that established her credentials not just as a model, but as a fitness personality. The win immediately boosted her profile, placing her in a league with other emerging glamour models of the era. This title was a crucial stepping stone, leading to more lucrative modeling opportunities and magazine features in the final years of the decade.

3. She Was the Original 'Micro Thong Maestro'

The 1990s fashion scene was defined by minimal clothing, from crop tops and low-rise jeans to barely-there swimwear. Coco Austin fully embraced this trend, becoming an early figure in popularizing the most revealing styles. She was noted in later commentary for being a "Micro Thong Maestro," a title that perfectly encapsulates her bold, uninhibited style during her swimsuit modeling days. This unapologetic approach to fashion and her confidence in wearing minimal attire solidified her image as a bombshell in the late 90s glamour scene. This particular niche—glamour modeling that bordered on the risqué—was a major cultural force in magazines and calendars of the time, and Coco was at the forefront of this movement.

4. The Mid-90s Style Was All About Reebok Shoes (1995)

Before the bikini shoots and magazine covers, Coco’s mid-90s style was surprisingly grounded in athletic wear. A nostalgic throwback photo she shared from 1995 offers a rare glimpse into her teenage aesthetic. In the picture, taken when she was 16 years old, she highlighted her love for her Reebok shoes. This detail is a fantastic piece of LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) that connects her to the broader 90s culture of athletic footwear and casual fashion. It shows a younger, more relatable Nicole Austin before the full transformation into the high-glamour persona of Coco. This early style, mixing comfort with a growing sense of body confidence, perfectly mirrors the street-style trends of the mid-90s.

5. Her Career Was Built on Swimsuit and Lingerie Catalogs

The late 90s modeling world for women with a curvier figure was dominated by swimsuit, lingerie, and calendar work. Coco Austin’s early success was largely built on this foundation. Her wins and magazine appearances led to a steady stream of work in lingerie and swimsuit catalogs, which were a highly profitable and mainstream segment of the modeling industry at the time. This work, which celebrated the female form in a bold and often provocative way, was a direct precursor to the rise of reality television and social media personalities who would later monetize their image in the 2000s. By the close of the decade, Coco had successfully leveraged her 1997 debut and 1998 win into a sustainable career, setting the stage for her eventual move into acting and reality TV.

The Enduring Legacy of Coco's 90s Era

The late 1990s were a pivotal time for Coco Austin. It was the decade where Nicole Austin, the teenager, transformed into Coco, the burgeoning glamour model and fitness competitor. Her success in the Miss Ujena contest and her debut on the cover of *Swimwear Illustrated* cemented her position as a rising star in the highly competitive world of late-90s media. The entities surrounding her 90s career—from the specific mention of her "Peanut Butter" hair and her love for Reebok shoes to the bold embrace of the micro thong trend—all contribute to a narrative of a young woman finding her identity and confidence in a decade known for its brash style and cultural shifts. Her early career in swimsuit modeling and lingerie modeling was a direct reflection of the period's fascination with the athletic, voluptuous figure, a trend that continues to influence fashion and media today. It is this foundation of hard work and early success in the 90s that provided the platform for her eventual marriage to Ice-T and her later fame on reality shows like *Ice Loves Coco*. The "newest" information about Coco Austin’s 90s past is often found in her own throwback posts, which continually resurface, reminding fans that the vibrant, confident personality they know today was forged in the specific, bold, and unforgettable glamour era of the late 1990s.
coco austin 90s
coco austin 90s

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