Gisele Bündchen's Triumph

In celebration of Brazilian bombshell Gisele Bündchen birthday, let’s remember her triumphant career.

POSTED 10.07.24 12:18 BY ANA BEATRIZ REITZ

One of the highest-paid models in the world since 2001, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen's career has been anything but simple. Born in Horizontina, a city near the Gaucha capital Porto Alegre, her passion had always been volleyball. But after being discovered by Elite Model Management in a shopping mall, everything changed. By 1995, she had moved to São Paulo, and a year later, in 1996, she made her debut at New York Fashion Week.

Being away from her family, in a model's apartment with many different faces and a culture so different from her own, was overwhelming. But she's no quitter. While some editors humiliated her, other casting producers rejected her, and the try-hard beat kept playing. In 1998, she was cast in an Alexander McQueen show, which became the catalyst for her rise. Walking for McQueen in the Golden Shower show at the age of 18 without a fitting, the model was terrified because there was no shirt for her, only a white paint that simulated a top. In a moment that has become unforgettable to this day, as the runway rained and flooded, Bündchen walked with tears streaming down her face, her chest exposed, and the falling water erasing what little it covered.

But after the show, she would no longer be covered. That same year, she posed for campaigns for the likes of Chloé, Ralph Lauren, and Versace. She appeared on the pages of several prestigious magazines, including Vogue Paris, British Vogue, and i-D. Already with IMG Models in 1999, Bündchen starred on her first U.S. Vogue magazine cover, where the publication referred to her as "the return of the sexy model" and credited her with ending the heroin chic era. It was in that same year that Bündchen appeared on more Vogue covers and won the VH1/Vogue Model of the Year award. From then on, from being named the "über" model by New York magazine editor Sally Singer to being selected as "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" by Rolling Stone magazine in 2000, her triumph would continue for much longer in the years to come.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @fauhxxyy

After appearing on numerous international Vogue covers, opening shows for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, and Valentino, and appearing in many Dolce & Gabbana fashion campaigns, she signed a five-year contract with Victoria's Secret. Her time at Victoria's Secret has been filled with moments that have gone down in history. In 2000, the model wore Victoria's Secret's $15 million Red Hot Fantasy Bra, listed in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive lingerie ever made. In 2002, as the model walked down the runway, four members of PETA invaded the catwalk holding signs that read "GISELE: FUR SCUM" before guards removed them. As the audience stared in shock, Bündchen continued to walk down the runway unperturbed.

In 2006, the viral moment occurred when she entered the stage where singer Justin Timberlake was performing "Sexyback," walking directly past him. While observers noted that she ignored him, the reality was that her wing was broken and she was focused on the task ahead. Focused always on the job at hand, she is. Whether as a magazine cover girl for Forbes, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair and the Pirelli calendar, closing runways for Balenciaga and Givenchy, starring in campaigns for Versace and Salvatore Ferragamo, as the face of Dolce & Gabbana's ''The One'' fragrance and Chanel's Les Beiges makeup line, walking in the Maracanã stadium at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, or in films such as Taxi and The Devil Wears Prada.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gisele Bündchen (@gisele)

As she embarks on other ventures, with deals for Ipanema sandals, eco-friendly Sejaa Pure Skincare, her book ''Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life,'' charitable activities such as environmental causes, the Breast Cancer Campaign, the Zero Hunger Program, the AIDS Treatment Fundraising Campaign and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the publication of ''Nourish: Simple Recipes for Body and Soul'' cookbook, Bündchen has transcended the title of one of the world's most influential women in fashion to become one of the most influential in today's world.