Dubbed the world ‘s highest-paid supermodel , Gisele Bundchen is often loved by fans through her charitable activities and environmental protection. After retiring, the 42-year-old supermodel still retains her charm by her classy fashion style , often attending the Met Gala with expensive outfits.
Recruited when eating at the store
Gisele Bundchen was born on July 20, 1980 in Horizontina, a small town in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. When she was in school, she dreamed of becoming a professional volleyball player. However, everything changed when the 14-year-old girl had lunch at a fried chicken shop.
Among 55 schoolgirls in uniform, Bundchen was noticed by a beauty expert, invited her to participate in the Elite Look Of The Year contest and won the final runner-up. She then moved to the capital, São Paulo, Brazil to pursue a modeling career. Bundchen soon performed at New York Fashion Week at the age of 16 and set a record as a young model when she booked 42 shows at fashion week.
Painful because she went topless on the catwalk at the age of 18
In the early days of her career, there was a stepping stone that helped bring Gisele to the top of glory but also a way to cross hell in a moment. That was the time she stepped onto the Alexander McQueen runway in the Spring/Summer 1998 show.
At that time, the female model had just turned 18. This was also her first appearance at London Fashion Week. The cult supermodel confessed she burst into tears because of the suit. “It was one of the darkest memories in a decades-long modeling career,” she said.
“I didn’t have the right clothes to wear at the time. I don’t know what to wear on the runway anymore. My English is babble, they say something I just pretend I understood. I cried when I was given the suit,” said the Brazilian star .
According to “the most expensive supermodel on the planet”, she cried so much that the makeup artist asked her to stop for fear of ruining her makeup. “I applied my eyelashes while crying and was told not to. While walking the catwalk, I hope my dad doesn’t see these photos,” she added.
However, Gisele Bundchen sees this “traumatic experience” as an opportunity to make her stronger. Before being accepted by Alexander McQueen, she failed in a series of casting sessions because her English was not good, and the trend of size 0 models was making waves in London. “I have cast 42 times. They didn’t even look at my profile because I was so rich,” recalled the female model.
Finally, the moment walking on the Alexander McQueen catwalk helped Gisele Bundchen become a star. She is known as “The Body” by the famous designer. It was Bundchen who brought the trend of sexy models back to the catwalk after years of the “hungry model” trend that dominated the fashion world.
Protested right on the Victoria’s Secret stage
In November 2002, she participated in the advertising campaign of the Blackglama fur company (USA) with a salary of £ 320,000 and was given two black mink coats.
Because of this, the animal welfare association PETA messed up on the Victoria’s Secret catwalk in 2002, when Bundchen was performing. However, the supermodel still retains her cool demeanor and characteristic strides. “She acted as if the disturbance was a pre-made part of the show,” commented fans.
In a statement, PETA’s representative confirmed: “The Brazilian supermodel wears fur because it is accepted by the fashion world. However, that has made her PETA’s number one enemy.”
Endless inspiration of women
In 2000, by inspiring 36,000 breast augmentation surgeries in Brazil, supermodel Gisele Bundchen was recognized as an icon of the “cutlery” industry in her home country.
According to a note in Elle magazine in 2006, fans asked top American stylists to name Bundchen for the hottest hairstyle at the time.
In 2008, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) asked the question: “What influence do celebrities have on patient decisions?”. After being surveyed by more than 20,000 plastic surgeons in 84 countries, Bundchen is one of the most mentioned names.
Not stopping there, “The Queen of the T-floor 2000” topped Famed Hottest’s list of the world’s most coveted women.
Founding a cosmetic line for teenagers
In 2010, while at the peak of her career, supermodel Gisele Bundchen launched a cosmetic line called Sejaa, with natural extracts, friendly to the skin of teenagers.
Talking about the reason for the birth of Sejaa, the 42-year-old supermodel said it was not for business purposes. “When I was a teenager, I got a lot of pimples. God, every time someone looks at my face, I think they’re looking at my pimples,” Bundchen told Vogue in 2010.
“I want to teach girls to love themselves and take care of their bodies. What’s the first thing you see every morning? Your face! What do you put on your face every day? Cream! I have created the simplest, purest ice cream,” says Bundchen.
Criticized for not using sunscreen
Surely many people will be surprised that the world’s top supermodel is afraid to use skin protection products. In February 2011, Bundchen angered a cancer treatment specialist by refusing to use sunscreen.
“I can’t put these toxic substances on my skin,” she said when launching her Sejaa natural skincare line. These types of synthetics are not right for me.”
Fans are fed up with Bundchen’s statement because she previously acted in an advertisement for a sunscreen brand.
Before the wave of public opinion, Bundchen’s close friend – journalist Amber Clapp, vindicated her on Style List: “People are misinterpreting her. Bundchen has never said no to sunscreen, she only believes in using natural products. When using sunscreen, she chooses ones that are free of parabens, oxybenzone, PABA and retinyl palmitate.”
Bundchen has been practicing meditation since the age of 20
The South American supermodel is known for living a simple, healthy lifestyle. When she was only 20 years old, she practiced meditation to relax her mind and improve her health .
In an interview with Rob Haskell magazine, Bundchen said she also helps open meditation training classes at her children’s schools. In addition, the world’s richest supermodel is still hard at work practicing yoga, kung fu and tai chi.
The former Victoria’s Secret angel shared that she worked hard to practice these subjects. With kungfu, on average, Bundchen does 3 times per week, 90 minutes each time. “Even two weeks before the birth of baby Benjamin, she still exercises normally to maintain her figure,” according to Vogue.
Actively doing charity and protecting the environment
In addition to modeling, she spends her time participating in charity work. Bundchen has donated $150,000 to Brazil’s Zero Hunger program (providing clean food, supporting farms and family income).
The beauty also designed a limited edition necklace, crafted by jeweler Gumuchian Fils, to be sold to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
She has raised funds for research and treatment of cancer, victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011. Accordingly, the amount is 1 million USD for the Red Cross, respectively. Japan, $250,000 for the Pacific Tsunami Fund.
In addition, Bundchen contributes to the campaign to raise money for HIV/AIDS victims in Africa. She once auctioned her diamond ring collection for charity.
In 2008, she also established a “green” blog with content reflecting environmental issues affecting people. Bundchen offers initiatives to protect South America’s water, rainforest and environment.
