Name: Gisele Bundchen
Birthdate: July 20, 1980
Birthplace: Tres de Maio, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil
Claim to fame: She is known for being one of the most famous and successful models in the world. Since 2004, she has been the highest paid model in the world.
Interesting fact: She pioneered the “horse walk”, a stomping movement created when a model picks her knees up high and kicks her feet out in front.
Best Quote: “I’m not a potato sack; I’ve never sat on my couch. If I’m home, I’m cleaning, feeding my dogs, doing stuff. Life is too precious to waste time.”
Why we love her: Dubbed early on in her career as “the body”, “the Brazilian bombshell”, and “boobs from Brazil”. Gisele Bundchen is not only one of the most famous, beautiful, and successful models in the world, but she is one of the top models of all time. Now I don’t really know how you judge the success of a model: is it how well they can walk in heels? How hard they stare when they walk? Or how toned their bikini and lingerie body is? But I guess it has something to do with the amount of large campaigns they’ve booked, sponsorships they’ve acquired throughout their career, big paychecks they’ve stacked up, and maybe the fact she dated Leo Dicaprio for half a decade and is now married to Tom Brady. Yeah her relationship with Dicaprio conveniently coincided with the peak of her career when she was unofficially dubbed the ‘top model in the world’. That Dicaprio sure seems to have good timing, doesn’t he?
Gisele is also seen by many as one of the last true supermodels still standing. She’s also the rare type of model where straight guys actually know her name. With her long legs, and physique like a literal gazelle, Bundchen has sustained a very blissed career in the modeling and fashion worlds. She was discovered at a mall in Sao Paulo, Brazil when she was just 14 years old while on a school trip, where she was feverously inhaling a greasy hamburger. A little cliché, isn’t it? Within a few years she had already made a break at fashion week in New York and was well on her way to becoming the beauty we all know today.
Even with a modeling career for the record books — she wore the most expensive piece of lingerie ever created — the Victoria’s Secret “Red Hot Fantasy Bra”, worth $15 million — Bundchen didn’t just stop with modelling, she’s ventured into the acting world with supporting roles in the films Taxi and The Devil Wears Prada. But in a business where everyone seems to be wearing every hat possible, she will not accept the title of model/actress, which is actually refreshing.
Now recently Gisele just stated publicly she is retiring from the runway portion of her modelling career. While she won’t be quitting the business entirely, she says her body is telling her it’s time to stop, and also to open up more time for some of her other projects. I guess that means no more of that infamous “horse walk” strutting and snarling down the runway?
Regardless of what’s next for Gisele, we can be sure we’ll still be hearing some of her candid camera comments about her hubby’s play on the football field, as well as see her long legs strutting down a red carpet and her face on a magazine cover every now and again. That, and there’s no question she’ll be one of the most attractive retired, or semi-retired people on the planet.
