Romijn (pronounced “Ro-mane”) was born in Berkeley, California, to Jaap Romijn and Elizabeth Kuizenga, both of whom are of Dutch ancestry. Her friends nicknamed her “the jolly blonde giant” because her height is just under 6 feet[citation needed].
While studying music (voice) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she became involved with modeling and eventually moved to Paris, France for more than two years. Among other jobs, Romijn modeled for the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated and for Victoria’s Secret. She also was the host of MTV’s House of Style from 1998 to 2000. Romijn is fluent in French and Portuguese.
