Meester was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Constance and Douglas Meester and lived most of her life in New York City and Los Angeles. Meester’s last name means “master” or “teacher” in Dutch. Her mother was serving time in a federal prison for her involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. She appeared in Tarzan, which ran for only eight episodes. The show is based on the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar about the lives of New York’s privileged Upper East Side young adults. Early in 2009, Meester partnered with Reebok to model their new Top Down sneakers. Vera Wang has also chosen Meester to be the face of her newest scent Lovestruck, breaking in summer of 2011, stating that the actress’s “beauty, talent and spirit will inspire all the young women that I hope will enjoy this passionate, new young fragrance.” in 2011, Italian fashion house Missoni revealed they have tapped Meester to be part of their Spring/Summer 2011 campaign. Meester was listed several times in Maxim’s Hot 100, starting #48 in 2008, #12 in 2009, #17 in 2010 and #16 in 2011.