For a guy who manages a site called Cult Sirens, I must admit that I’m not that obsessed with supermodels. Besides the issue of being too skinny, I often find that they all look alike, body type wise or even considering common facial features and attitude. For example, Gisele Bundchen or Heidi Klum don’t do anything for me. But there are still a couple that got my attention at some point or other, among them Yasmeen Ghauri.

Oddly, she was born in my hometown of Montreal on March 23, 1971, to a Pakistani father and German mother. Her dad was Muslim cleric for the Islamic Community of Quebec and very strict. When young, Yasmeen was discovered as she was working in a McDonalds at the age of 17, so traditional family values were put to the test. But she remained true to her calling and enjoyed local success rapidly, before going to New York to pursue on that lucky streak. At that point, there weren’t many models proposing that kind of beauty so she got noticed early on. Her own style of operating the walkway got her the nickname The Panther.

She enjoyed a nearly 10 year career, popping up everywhere for major shows (Versace, Lang, Gaultier) and key publications (Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire), even once seen in Playboy. Of course, she will remain a most memorable Victoria’s Secret model and she’s be seen in two documentaries, Catwalk and Unzipped. These days, Yasmeen seems to be active for charity causes, mainly concerning the conservation of Germany’s Black Forest and breast cancer research.