Gisele Caroline Bündchen (, , born 20 July 1980
) is a Brazilian fashion model. Since 2001, she has been one of the highest-paid models in the world. In 2007, Bündchen was the 16th-richest woman in the entertainment industry and earned the top spot on
''Forbes'' top-earning models list in 2012.
In 2014, she was listed as the 89th-most-powerful woman in the world by ''Forbes''.
''
Vogue'' credited Bündchen with ending the
heroin chic era of modeling in 1999. Bündchen was a
Victoria's Secret Angel from 1999 until 2006. She is credited with pioneering and popularizing the horse walk, a stomping movement created by a model lifting her knees high and kicking her feet to step.
In 2007,
Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Maria Schiffer, Lady Vaughn (; born 25 August 1970) is a German model and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as one of the world's most successful models, attaining supermodel status.
Born in Rheinberg, Germany, she initially asp ...
called Bündchen the only remaining
supermodel. Bündchen has appeared on more than 1,200 magazine covers.
Bündchen was nominated for Choice Movie Female Breakout Star and for Choice Movie Villain at the 2005
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...
for her supporting role in ''
Taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
'' (2004). She had a supporting role in ''
The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006) and was the
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
of an educational environmental cartoon, ''Gisele & the Green Team'', in 2010 to 2011. In 2016, she appeared in the
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
–winning documentary series ''
Years of Living Dangerously'', in the episode "Fueling the Fire".
Bündchen's charitable endeavors include
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide.
The organization raises money to imp ...
, the
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
and
Doctors Without Borders
Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to:
Titles and occupations
* Physician, a medical practitioner
* Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree
** Doctorate
** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...
. She has been a
Goodwill Ambassador for the
United Nations Environment Program since 2009.
Family and early life
Gisele Caroline Bündchen, a sixth-generation
German Brazilian
German Brazilians (German language, German: ''Deutschbrasilianer'', Hunsrik: ''Deitschbrasiliooner'', ) refers to Brazilians of full or partial Germans, German ancestry. German Brazilians live mostly in the country's South Region, Brazil, South ...
, was born on 20 July 1980 in
Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul,
to Valdir Bündchen, a university professor, and Vânia Nonnenmacher (1948–2024), a banker. Her grandfather, Walter Bündchen, once served as mayor of Horizontina. She grew up with five sisters, Raquel, Graziela, her
fraternal twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...
Patrícia, Gabriela and Rafaela. The family is
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
Although her parents speak German and Bündchen learned German in school, she no longer speaks the language.
Besides her native Portuguese, she speaks English, Italian, Spanish and French.

Bündchen aspired to be a
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
player, but in 1993 her mother enrolled her and sisters Patrícia and Gabriela in a modeling course to teach them confidence and better posture.
After the course ended, the girls were rewarded by a trip to
Curitiba
Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...
,
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
and
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
, where she was discovered by
Elite Model Management at a shopping center.
[ Bündchen was placed second in a national contest, Elite Model Look, that was then known as Look of the Year. In 1995, Bündchen moved to São Paulo to launch her modeling career. She debuted at ]New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning seven to nine days when international Fashion design, fashion collections are shown to buyers, the pres ...
in 1996.
Career
1996–2000: Career beginnings
Bündchen began her modelling career in 1996. In 1997, she was rejected 42 times in London before being cast in an Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen (brand), Alexander McQueen label in 1992 and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His ac ...
runway show in 1998. In 1998, Bündchen posed for Missoni
Missoni is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Varese, Italy, Varese, and known for its colourful knitwear designs. The company was founded by Ottavio Missoni, Ottavio ("Tai") and Rosita Missoni in 1953.
History Early beginnings
The busin ...
, Chloé
Chloé () is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. In 1953, Aghion joined forces with Jacques Lenoir, formally managing the business side of the brand, allowing Aghion to purely pursue the creative growth of Chloé. It ...
, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Gianfranco Ferré, Ralph Lauren, and Versace
Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...
campaigns. She appeared on the cover of '' Vogue Paris'', her first cover of ''British Vogue'',[ and '' i-D'', which featured her on its cover, profiling "A Girl Called Gisele".] Dissatisfied with Elite Model Management's work environment, Bündchen signed with IMG Models
IMG, originally known as the International Management Group, is a global sports, fashion, events and media company headquartered in New York City. The company manages athletes and fashion celebrities; owns, operates and commercially represents ...
in 1999.
Bündchen's first U.S ''Vogue'' cover, where ''Vogue'' announced Bündchen was "the return of the sexy model", was the first of three ''Vogue'' covers for her in 1999. In November she appeared in a group ''Vogue'' cover with Kate Moss
Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...
, Amber Valletta, Christy Turlington
Christy Nicole Turlington Burns ( Turlington; born January 2, 1969) is an American fashion model. She initially attracted fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a supermodel. She represented Calvin Klein's Eternity campaign in 1989 and aga ...
, Iman, Lauren Hutton
Lauren Hutton (born Mary Laurence Hutton; November 17, 1943) is an American model and actress. Born and raised in the southern United States, Hutton relocated to New York City in her early adulthood to begin a modeling career. Though she was ini ...
, Naomi Campbell
Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...
, Stephanie Seymour, Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Maria Schiffer, Lady Vaughn (; born 25 August 1970) is a German model and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as one of the world's most successful models, attaining supermodel status.
Born in Rheinberg, Germany, she initially asp ...
, Lisa Taylor, Paulina Porizkova, Carolyn Murphy, and Patti Hansen, and appeared in a solo U.S. ''Vogue'' cover in December. Bündchen won the VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
/''Vogue'' Model of the Year in 1999. After Bündchen appeared in five major campaigns at age 18, '' New York'' magazine editor Sally Singer deemed her an "über" model.
She became the fourth model to appear on the cover of ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine when she was named "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" in 2000. In 2000, '' Vogue''s online encyclopedia of models described Bündchen the world's hottest model and referred to her as "the Brazilian bombshell". That same year, Bündchen fronted the advertising campaign for Dior's newly launched Dior Saddle bag, photographed by Nick Knight. The campaign, which also featured model Rhea Durham, was part of John Galliano
John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...
's Spring/Summer 2000 collection and was credited with attracting a younger demographic to the brand.
2000–2008: Modeling breakthrough, international success, and acting debut
In 2000, Bündchen appeared on 37 international ''Vogue'' covers, including three in the American edition. In January 2000, Bündchen was featured on the covers of the U.S. and British editions of ''Vogue''.[ For spring 2000 fashion week, she opened shows for ]Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...
, Michael Kors
Michael David Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr. August 9, 1959) is an American fashion designer. He is the chief creative officer of his brand, Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and f ...
, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
, and Valentino in New York, Milan and Paris. From 1998 to 2003, Bündchen was in 11 consecutive Dolce & Gabbana fashion campaigns. From 2006 to 2009 she became the face of Dolce & Gabbana's fragrance "The One". Bündchen retired from the runway after signing a five-year contract with Victoria's Secret.[
In 2000, Bündchen wore Victoria's Secret's Red Hot Fantasy Bra worth $15 million and listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the most expensive lingerie ever created. Bündchen modelled the Sexy Splendor Fantasy Bra in 2005, the second-most expensive bra valued at $12.5 million.
In 2004, she appeared on a group U.S. ''Vogue'' cover, with Daria Werbowy, Natalia Vodianova, Isabeli Fontana, Karolina Kurkova, ]Liya Kebede
Liya Kebede (; born 1 March 1978) is an Ethiopian-born model (person), model, maternal health advocate, clothing designer, and actress. She has appeared on the cover of ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' 20 times.
Kebede has served as the World Health ...
, Hana Soukupova, Gemma Ward, and Karen Elson. Bündchen appeared on the covers of '' W'', '' Allure'', '' GQ'', ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'', ''Marie Claire
''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages.
The feature editions focus on women aro ...
'', ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'', and in the Pirelli Calendar
The Pirelli Calendar, known and trade-marked as "The Cal", is an annual trade calendar which has been published by the UK subsidiary of the Italian tyre manufacturing company Pirelli since 1964. The calendar has a reputation for its choice of p ...
. Bündchen co-starred with Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an Americans, American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. Best known for his work in television, Fallon's breakthrough came during his tenure as a cast member on the ...
in the 2004 remake of ''Taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
'', and Bündchen played Serena in '' The Devil Wears Prada'' in 2006. In 2007, Mario Testino
Mario Eduardo Testino Silva Order of the British Empire, OBE Royal Photographic Society#Distinctions and qualifications, HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer.
His work has featured internationally in ...
photographed Bündchen for the cover of ''Vanity Fair''s style issue. In 2008, she appeared on the controversial cover of ''Vogue'' with NBA player LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...
. The cover was criticized for perpetuating racial stereotypes after James bared his teeth in a perceived gorilla-type pose.
''Forbes'' listed Bündchen as No. 53 on their 2007 list of the most powerful celebrities. In 2010, Bündchen's flip-flop line for Ipanema sold more than 250 million pairs for an estimated $197 million. In May 2007, Bündchen ended her contract with Victoria's Secret. In her memoir, ''Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life'', Bündchen said she left Victoria's Secret because she was uncomfortable being photographed in lingerie. In August 2008, the ''New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' named Bündchen as one of the most powerful people in the fashion world.
2009–2011: Continued success
''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' referred to Bündchen the biggest star in fashion history in May 2009. In April 2010, Bündchen appeared on the cover of American ''Vogue'' for the 11th time. Bündchen closed Balenciaga
Balenciaga SA ( , , ) is a Spanish Basque luxury fashion house currently headquartered in Paris. It designs, manufactures and markets ready-to-wear footwear, handbags, and accessories, and licenses its name and branding to the American cosmeti ...
's 2010 show in a surprise appearance. In 2011, ''CEOWorld Magazine'' ranked Bündchen among their Top Accomplished Women Entertainers. She was ranked No. 95 in '' FHM'' magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2011. In 2007, Bündchen was named by ''Forbes'' as the World's Richest Supermodel. On 11 April 2008, a black-and-white photo of Bündchen shot by Irving Penn
Irving Penn (June 16, 1917October 7, 2009) was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn's career included work at ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' magazine, and independent advertising work for clie ...
was auctioned for $193,000.
By 2010, Bündchen had appeared on two ''Vogue Shape'' issue covers, more than any other celebrity or model. She ranked No. 45 in the 2011 FHM Australia list of 100 Sexiest Women in the World. In 2011, ''Men's Health
''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst Communications, Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries; it is the bestselling men's magazine on American newsstands.
Started as a men's health magazin ...
'' named Bündchen as No. 25 of the 100 Hottest Women of All Time. Bündchen closed the 2011 Givenchy spring-summer fashion show in a surprise appearance during Paris Fashion Week. That year, Bündchen launched eco-friendly Sejaa Pure Skincare, a skin care
Skin care or skincare is the practice of maintaining and improving the health and appearance of the skin. It includes washing, moisturizing, protecting from the sun, and treating skin problems like acne and dryness. Skin care can help prevent i ...
product line
In marketing jargon, product lining refers to the offering of several related product (business), products for individual sale. Unlike product bundling, where several products are combined into one group, which is then offered for sale as a uni ...
using all-natural ingredients.
She appeared on eight ''Vogue'' covers in 2011, more than any other model or celebrity that year. Her July ''Vogue Brasil'' 2011 cover that was shot in the Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
sold 70,743 copies, making it the magazine's highest-selling issue. In early 2011, Procter & Gamble's Pantene shampoo sales increased 40 percent in Latin America after Bündchen started representing the product.
2012–present: Modeling campaigns and music endeavors
In spring 2012, Bündchen was featured in three spring campaigns, Versace, Givenchy, and Salvatore Ferragamo. She became the face of Banco do Brasil's first global ad campaign in 2012.
In April 2012, ''Time'' listed Bündchen on its All-Time 100 Fashion Icons list, which highlighted the most influential fashion icons since 1923. ''Vogue'' included Bündchen in its spotlight of the 10 women who had most appeared on its covers to honor the magazine's 120th anniversary in August 2012.
Bündchen made 5,600 appearances in commercials in Brazil in 2012. She replaced Kate Moss as the face of David Yurman in August 2012. She was photographed by Peter Lindbergh
Peter Lindbergh (born Peter Brodbeck; 23 November 1944 – 3 September 2019) was a German fashion photographer and film director.
He had studied arts in Berlin and Krefeld, and exhibited his works before graduation. In 1971, he turned to phot ...
for the fall 2012 campaign. By 2012, Bündchen had appeared on 120 ''Vogue'' covers. She holds the record for appearing on the most ''Vogue Brasil'' covers.
In February 2013, Bündchen became the face of Chanel's make-up line, Les Beiges. The campaign was photographed by Mario Testino. For Louis Vuitton's spring/summer 2014 campaign, Marc Jacobs chose Bündchen, Catherine Deneuve, Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola ( , ; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and former actress. She has List of awards and nominations received by Sofia Coppola, won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Golden Lion, and a Can ...
, Fan Bingbing, Caroline de Maigret and Edie Campbell as his muses. In December 2013, Bündchen became Pantene's ambassador, a deal worth $4 million per year.
Bündchen released a cover of the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...
" All Day and All of the Night" as a contribution to H&M's 2013 charity campaign. She contributed to H&M's 2014 charity campaign by teaming with French music producer and DJ Bob Sinclar
Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ, and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions.
Musical career
A native of Paris, Le Friant began D ...
to record a cover of Blondie's 1979 classic " Heart of Glass", on which she was credited as Gisele. The single charted in France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Belgium.
In May 2014, Bündchen was chosen as the spokeswoman for Chanel No. 5. Within the first quarter of 2014, Bündchen appeared on 17 international editions of ''Elle
Elle may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication
** Elle Style Awards
* Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition
* Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film
* ''Elle: ...
'', including the Brazilian, German, Italian, Canadian, Japanese and Chinese editions. Under Armour signed Bündchen to a multiyear deal in September 2014. In 2014 and 2015, Bündchen appeared in more television commercial spots than any other Brazilian celebrity in the course of one year in Brazil.
Bündchen was featured in the 2015 Guinness World Record book as the model who earned the most money from June 2014 to June 2015. Bündchen's $700 Taschen book released in celebration of her 20th year career sold out in one day. By 2015, Bündchen appeared in more than 550 advertising campaigns, 2000 magazine covers, 3500 magazine editorials and 800 fashion shows.
Bündchen appeared at the Maracanã Stadium
Maracanã Stadium (, ; named after the Maracanã River), officially known as Jornalista Mário Filho Stadium (, ; , named after Mário Filho), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Located in the Maracanã neighbor ...
at the opening ceremony
An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event. of the Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
on 5 August 2016.
''Forbes'' ranked Bündchen No. 61 on its Most Powerful Celebrities list in 2012.
''Forbes'' ranked her fourth on the World's Most Powerful Latino Celebrity list in May 2012. In 2013, she ranked No. 5 on the ''Forbes'' 10 Most Powerful Businesswomen in Brazil.
In 2013, Bündchen's Ipanema sandals sold about 25 million pairs annually and accounted for more than 60 percent of shoe manufacturer Grendene's annual exports of about $250 million.
In 2014, Bündchen signed a contract with Under Armour
Under Armour, Inc. is an American sportswear company that manufactures footwear and clothing, apparel headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
History 20th century
Under Armour was founded on September 25, 1996, by Kevin Plank, a ...
, which is reportedly on par with the endorsement compensations of professional athletes and exceeds her former Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing and beauty products, beauty retailer. Founded in 1977 by a Stanford graduate student and his wife, Roy Raymond, Roy and Gaye Raymond, the company's five lingerie stores were sold to Les Wexner i ...
contract. In 2016, Under Armour's CEO Kevin Plank said sales for the company's women's brand had increased because of its association with Bündchen.
In 2018, Gisele released her book called ''Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life'', which was a ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' bestseller and was the best selling book for over six months in the non-fiction category in Brazil. The proceeds from her book went to support social and environmental causes.[
In February 2021, it was reported that Bündchen was leaving ]IMG Models
IMG, originally known as the International Management Group, is a global sports, fashion, events and media company headquartered in New York City. The company manages athletes and fashion celebrities; owns, operates and commercially represents ...
after 22 years and that her twin sister Patricia would be taking over as her manager.
In 2021, Bündchen, among other high-profile athletes and celebrities (including ex-husband Tom Brady), was a paid spokesperson for FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange. In November 2022, FTX filed for bankruptcy, wiping out billions of dollars in customer funds as well as Bündchen's personal stake in the company. She, alongside other spokespeople, is currently being sued for promoting unregistered securities through a class-action lawsuit
A class action is a form of lawsuit.
Class Action may also refer to:
* ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
* Class Action (band), a garage house band
* "Class Action" (''Teenage Robot''), a 2002 e ...
. In February 2022, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect
Bitconnect (stylized ''bitconnect'' and also spelled BitConnect, Ticker symbol, ticker code BCC) was an open-source cryptocurrency in 2016–2018 that was connected with a high-yield investment program, a type of Ponzi scheme. After the platform ...
that the Securities Act of 1933
The Securities Act of 1933, also known as the 1933 Act, the Securities Act, the Truth in Securities Act, the Federal Securities Act, and the '33 Act, was enacted by the United States Congress on May 27, 1933, during the Great Depression and afte ...
extends to targeted solicitation using social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
.
In 2023, Bündchen reunited with Victoria's Secret after 17 years, for their Icons campaign featuring fellow former Angels and brand veterans as well as recent supermodels including Naomi Campbell
Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...
, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel
Candice Susan Swanepoel (; ; born 20 October 1988) is a South African model. She is known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2010. In 2016, she was listed 8th on the ''Forbes'' top-earning models list. ...
, Emily Ratajkowski, Paloma Elsesser, Jill Kortleve, and Adut Akech.
Public image
In September 2000, ''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' reported on a survey conducted by Brazilian magazine ''Capricho'', where 86 percent of Brazilian teenagers said they wanted to become fashion models. ''Capricho'' attributed the interest in modeling to Bündchen.
By 2014, Bündchen was listed by ''Forbes'' as the 89th most powerful woman in the world.
''Forbes Brasil'' listed Bündchen as the No. 2 biggest Brazilian celebrity of 2015 based on media presence and influence in Brazil.
In a 2006 ''Elle
Elle may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication
** Elle Style Awards
* Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition
* Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film
* ''Elle: ...
'' survey, more than 50 percent of American stylists asked gave Bündchen the title of the best hair in Hollywood. A February 2008 survey of more than 20,000 plastic surgeons in 84 countries revealed Bündchen was the celebrity most mentioned for patients having work done on their abdomens and hair, and the second-most mentioned celebrity in the breasts category.
Bündchen was second on '' Vanity Fair''s World's Most Beautiful poll in 2009. In January 2011, Bündchen's was the most desired female body on the ''14th Annual Famed Hottest Looks'' survey. In 2011, Bündchen was one of three women to make AskMen.com's annual "Most Desirable Women" list every year for 10 consecutive years.
Bündchen is ranked No. 4 on ''Forbes Brasil''s list of the 100 most influential Brazilian celebrities. In May 2014, Bündchen was ranked No. 89 on ''Forbes'' 100 Most Powerful Women in the world, the only model on the list.
In November 2014, ''Forbes Brasil'' ranked Bündchen fifth of the 25 biggest celebrities in Brazil, moving her up to second in 2015.
''Vogue Italia'' called Bündchen the "King Midas of fashion" in February 2012, saying companies that invest in her reap the awards of her representation. An Esprit public awareness campaign featuring Bündchen helped raise consumer awareness 9 percent in Germany and 19 percent in China.
In 2016, Bündchen participated in ''The Beginning of Life'', a documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
about "the crucial role that the early years of children's lives play in determining their futures successes".
Philanthropy
Since the 2000s, Bündchen's main focus has been social and environmental causes.[ She has also supported the Breast Cancer Campaign to educate women on how to perform a breast self-exam.]
Charitable activities
Bündchen donated $150,000 to Brazil's Zero Hunger program. She designed a limited necklace edition for ''Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
'', crafted by jewelers Gumuchian Fils, which were sold to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
An iPod autographed by Bündchen and loaded with her personal playlist was auctioned, and proceeds were donated to Music Rising, a campaign founded in 2005, to replace lost or destroyed instruments of musicians in the Gulf Coast Region after hurricane disasters.
Bündchen became the face of American Express
American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...
's Product Red-affiliated card in 2006. A portion of earnings from the credit card are donated to HIV/AIDS victims in Africa. In the same year she took part in the I am African fundraising campaign to make AIDS treatment accessible to all of Africa. In 2009, she appeared on 30 covers of the international issues of ''Elle'' wearing Product Red clothing and posing with products from companies that support its mission.
Bündchen started The Luz Foundation in 2007, a project to empower girls and help them deal with self-esteem issues.[
In 2008, Bündchen auctioned a collection of diamonds to benefit the Diamond Empowerment Fund, a nonprofit organization to education initiatives in countries where diamonds are a natural resource. The collection featured the Ponahalo Diamonds which were valued at $2 million to $4 million, a 6-carat diamond ring worth $120,000–$150,000 and a 3.35-carat Sabbadini diamond ring worth $15,000–$20,000. In 2010, she donated $1.5 million to the ]Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
to aid the relief effort in Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
after seeing the devastation done by the earthquake. The donation put Bündchen tied for 14th on The Giving Back Fund's list of 30 celebrities who made the largest donations to charity in 2011.
In 2010, together with former president Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
, Bündchen joined the event that partnered Pantene and the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program to provide clean water
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. ...
to people in need. Bündchen and Indonesian singer-songwriter Anggun
Anggun Cipta Sasmi (; (born 29 April 1974), known mononymously as Anggun, is an Indonesian-French singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born in Jakarta, she began performing at the age of seven and recorded a children's album two yea ...
announced the kick-off of the Healthy Hair for Healthy Water program at P&G's reception that was held in conjunction with the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Bündchen also attended the Brazil Foundation's 8th Annual Gala to raise funds for fighting challenges faced by poor communities in Brazil. Bündchen created an exclusive design for SIGG water bottles, with proceeds going to WaterCan NGO, a humanitarian organization in Canada that provides the poorest people in the world access to clean water
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. ...
, toilets
A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and Human feces, feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry toilet, dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be desi ...
and information on hygiene
Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...
.
In 2020, Bündchen formed the Luz Alliance fund in partnership with the Brazil Foundation with a donation of 1,000,000 reals.[ The fund supports the purchase of hygiene kits, food and financial assistance to families in Brazil through eight different charitable organizations and emergency-response efforts to offset the impact of the ]COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.[
Bündchen, along with her then husband Brady, partnered with ]Wheels Up
Wheels Up is a provider of "on demand" private aviation in the United States and one of the largest private aviation companies in the world. It was founded in 2013 by Kenny Dichter, using a membership/on-demand business model. Wheels Up members ...
to donate 10 million meals to Feeding America
Feeding America is a United States–based Nonprofit organization, non-profit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other c ...
for their "Meals Up" initiative and helped fund thousands of meals for Feeding Tampa Bay and The Greater Boston Food Bank to alleviate food insecurity
Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Similarly, househo ...
. Bündchen also partnered with the "All in Challenge" by donating an experience with her at a photo shoot in New York, with all proceeds going to Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that Food security, provides food relief. It was founded in 2010 by Spanish American chef and restaurateur José Andrés following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, earthq ...
and No Kid Hungry.
Environmental work
In 2004, after visiting an Amerindian tribe at the Xingu region in Brazil and seeing firsthand the problems those communities were facing due to water pollution
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of Body of water, water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and ...
and deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
, Bündchen decided she had to do something to help bring attention to social and environmental issues. She advocated for the cause and through the years she has supported different projects, especially forest and water related projects in the Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
and Atlantic Forest.
In 2007, she signed a "Hotter than I Should Be" T-shirt that was auctioned on eBay
eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
for the World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...
to support the charity's campaign to raise awareness about the causes and impacts of climate change.
Bündchen returned to her hometown of Horizontina in 2008 and with her family launched Projeto Água Limpa (Clean Water Project), which implements sustainable environmental management and promotes the recovery of riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...
vegetation and the micro basins of the region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
. More than one million trees were planted in Bündchen's name following her 2008 American Photo cover to promote Forests of the Future, a project to assist in the reforestation of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.
In May 2009, Bündchen co-hosted the annual gala of the Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with staff in more than 20 countries and operations in more than 70 countries. It was founded in 1987 by Daniel Katz, an American environmental activist, who serve ...
to honor leaders in sustainability. In May 2011, Bündchen received the Global Environmental Citizen Award
The Global Environmental Citizen Award is an environmental award created by the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment and bestowed annually upon an individual working to restore and protect the global environment.
Aw ...
in recognition of her eco-efforts. In November 2011, she was awarded Greenest Celebrity at the 2011 International Green awards at the Natural History Museum, London
The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum (Lo ...
.
Bündchen donates proceeds from the sales from her Ipanema
Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone (Rio de Janeiro), South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the populari ...
sandals to a different charity each year. Starting in 2006, Bündchen dedicated a percentage of the sales of her line of sandals to environmental projects including "Y Ikatu Xingu", meaning "Save the Good Water of Xingu", the project aimed to recover and protect springs and headwaters of the Xingu River
The Xingu River ( ; ; ) is a river in north Brazil. It is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River and one of the largest clearwater rivers in the Amazon basin, accounting for about 5% of its water.
__TOC__
Description and history
The fir ...
in Brazil. In 2007, she supported World Wildlife Fund
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...
project "Nascentes do Brasil" and "De olho nos manaciais" from ISA. In 2008, the project supported was "Florestas do futuro" from SOS Mata Atlantica, a reforestation
Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...
program for recovery of native species
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equi ...
, which contributes to water conservation and biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
. A forest was named after her, the Gisele Bündchen Forest, where more than 25000 seedlings of 100 different tree species were planted in her honor, which recovered more than 15 hectares
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
of Atlantic Forest. In 2011, the donation went to the Socio-Environmental Institute. In 2009, she also helped the "Tamar Project", a research initiative
Popular initiative
A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition.
In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...
and environmental protection
Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...
of the five species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of sea turtles along the Brazilian coast.
In 2012, Bündchen planted a sapling of Sapucaia tree during her visit to Green Nation Fest, an event that occurs every year during the Environment Week and, that year, prior to the realization of Rio +20. Over the years Bündchen participated in several United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
campaigns to fight against climate change. She participated in challenges on World Environment Day to mobilize people to take action in helping protect the forest, the wildlife, the green economy and to encourage people to reduce their food waste
The causes of food going uneaten are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during food production, production, food processing, processing, Food distribution, distribution, Grocery store, retail and food service sales, and Social clas ...
. Bündchen attended Champions of the Earth and Equator Prize ceremonies multiples times.
In 2013, Bündchen supported the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
campaign against food waste, THINK.EAT.SAVE. Bündchen and chef Eric Ripert participated in the '' Today Show'' program where they showed that it is possible to cook more efficiently.
Bündchen and her husband promote the Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature, World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging the individuals, communities, and businesses to give an hour for Earth, and additionally marked ...
global movement, a symbolic act promoted worldwide by the World Wildlife Foundation in which governments, companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...
, and people demonstrate concern for the environment, turning off their lights for sixty minute
A minute is a unit of time defined as equal to 60 seconds.
It is not a unit in the International System of Units (SI), but is accepted for use with SI. The SI symbol for minutes is min (without a dot). The prime symbol is also sometimes used i ...
s.
In January 2014, Bündchen joined the Rainforest Alliance board of directors
A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency.
The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
. Later that year she attended, as a guest of honor the spring annual gala, a ceremony that recognized the industry champions that have sustainability as a priority. In 2014 Bündchen supported the SOKO + The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women partnership to support the financial and physical security of women and girls around the world. SOKO artisans in Kenya created a pair of handmade bracelets to raise awareness for the fund. Bündchen had her work in the defense of the environment recognized and was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
(UNEP).[ Since then, Bündchen has helped UNEP in the mission of raising awareness and inspiring action to protect the environment.]
In 2016, she joined the climate change documentary show '' Years of Living Dangerously'' as one of its celebrity correspondents.
In addition to using her social networks
A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of meth ...
to share information about different subjects related to the importance of preserving all forms of life, Bündchen also attended a meeting to discuss the matter at the United Nations Headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is on of grounds in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It borders First Avenue (Manhattan), First Avenue to the west, 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd ...
in New York, which happened on the World Wildlife Day
On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in itresolution UN 68/205 decided to proclaim 3 March, the international day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species o ...
in 2016. The date was celebrated with the theme "Wildlife Future is in Our Hands".[ She also participated in the Wild For Life campaign against the illegal trafficking of endangered wildlife, including the campaign that won the People's Choice Award in the green category of 2019 ]Webby Awards
The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...
.
In 2019, Bündchen executive produced a documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
entitled ''Kiss the Ground''. The feature focuses on a group of activists, scientists
A scientist is a person who researches to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophical study of nature ...
, farmers, and politicians who band together in a global movement of "Regenerative Agriculture" to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world. The film features Bündchen alongside Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...
, Ian Somerhalder, Patricia Arquette
Patricia Arquette (; born April 8, 1968) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut as Kristen Parker in ''A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' (1987) and has since received several awards, including an Academy Award, two P ...
, David Arquette, Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...
, and Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz ( ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Wo ...
. The documentary premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) includin ...
. In 2020 on her birthday Bündchen launched the Viva a Vida initiative and donated funds to plant 40,000 trees along the Xingu and Araguaia River
The Araguaia River ( , Karajá language, Karajá: ♂ ''Berohokỹ'' eɾohoˈkə̃ ♀ ''Bèrakuhukỹ'' ɛɾakuhuˈkə̃ is one of the major rivers of Brazil, and a tributary of the Tocantins River.
Geography
The Araguaia River comes from ...
in Brazil.
Goodwill ambassador
Bündchen and her former husband, Tom Brady, served Thanksgiving dinner to more than 400 job trainees at Goodwill Industries International's headquarters in Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for ne ...
, in November 2008.
In September 2009, Bündchen was designated Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
. She made her first visit to Africa as UNEP Goodwill Ambassador in January 2012.
In January 2012, Bündchen visited Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
to experience the reality of energy poverty
In developing countries and some areas of more developed countries, energy poverty is lack of access to modern energy services in the home. In 2022, 759 million people lacked access to consistent electricity and 2.6 billion people used dangerous a ...
as part of the Energy for All 2030 project. On the eve of World Environment Day in June 2012, Bündchen, planted the first of a series of 50,000 trees in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
. In January 2014, Bündchen joined the Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with staff in more than 20 countries and operations in more than 70 countries. It was founded in 1987 by Daniel Katz, an American environmental activist, who serve ...
board of directors.
Personal life
From 2000 to 2005, Bündchen was in a relationship with actor Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
. In 2004, Bündchen and DiCaprio made ''People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
''s annual Most Beautiful Couples List. After experiencing a period of depression, Bündchen decided to end her relationship with DiCaprio after she felt their lifestyles no longer complemented, saying in her memoir ''Lessons'', "I was becoming more and more aware of things that I'd chosen not to look at. Was I alone in wanting to do some serious soul-searching while he stayed the same? In the end, unfortunately, the answer was yes."[
In December 2006, Bündchen began dating NFL quarterback ]Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...
, after a mutual friend, Ed Razek, then CMO of L Brands
Bath & Body Works, Inc. (formerly known as L Brands, Inc., Limited Brands, Inc. and The Limited, Inc.) is an American specialty retail company based in Columbus, Ohio. It owns Bath & Body Works, posted $7.4 billion in revenue in 2023, and was ...
, introduced them on a blind date. The couple married on 26 February 2009 in a small ceremony at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. In April 2009, the couple had a second marriage ceremony, in Costa Rica. Bündchen and Brady have two children: a son (born 2009), and a daughter (born 2012). She is the stepmother of Brady's first son (born 2007) from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan. Bündchen and Brady are Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
.[ On 28 October 2022, Bündchen and Brady finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage.
Since June 2023, Bündchen has officially been in a relationship with Jiu-Jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente.] The pair met in December 2021, when she started attending classes at Valente and his two brothers' Miami-based self-defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...
academy, and were first romantically linked when they were spotted on vacation together in Costa Rica in November 2022, one month after Bündchen finalized her divorce from Brady. In October 2024, it was announced that she was pregnant with their first child together. As of February 2025, Bündchen had given birth to her third child, her first with Valente. The child was later revealed to be a boy.
Bündchen practices Transcendental Meditation. She and her family adhere to a primarily plant-based diet
A plant-based diet is a diet consisting mostly or entirely of plant-based foods. It encompasses a wide range of dietary patterns that contain low amounts of animal products and high amounts of fiber-rich plant products such as vegetables ...
developed by their personal chef Allen Campbell. When Tom Brady played for the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, they lived in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...
and resided part-time in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. They later moved to Tampa, Florida
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, after Brady went to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
. In December 2020, the couple reportedly bought a home in Indian Creek, Florida. As of 2022, Bündchen owns three homes in South Florida.
In December 2021, Bündchen began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the Valente brothers. After a little over two years of training, she was promoted to purple belt by them in December 2023.
Wealth
In August 2011, Bündchen ranked 60th on the ''Forbes'' list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. At age 31, she ranked third on The 20 Youngest Power Women of 2011 List. In 2011, ''Forbes'' named Bündchen and Brady as the World's Highest-Paid Celebrity couple. In August 2012, Bündchen was one of four people in the fashion industry and the only model to be ranked on the ''Forbes'' list of "The World's Most Powerful Women", at No. 83. She ranked eighth in the top 10 of the ''Forbes'' list of "Entertainment's Highest-Paid Women" in 2012.
''Forbes'' ranked Bündchen as the world's top-earning model for the fifth consecutive time in May 2011. Bündchen disputed the number used by ''Forbes'', telling Brazilian website ''MdeMulher'' that the inflated estimates have made her a subject of an audit
An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...
by the Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
. In 2013, Bündchen ranked third on the 16 Most Successful Female Entrepreneurs list by ''Forbes''. ''Forbes'' estimated Bündchen's 2016 income at $30.5 million. Bündchen was the highest-paid model in the world from 2002 to 2017.
Bündchen has five sisters, named Patricia (Pati), Graziela, Gabriela, Raquel, and Rafaela. Pati is her fraternal twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...
and serves as her manager. Gabriela has served as her personal attorney, Raquel as her website designer, and Rafaela as her accountant. Graziela, a judge, is the only sibling who isn't involved in her career.
Spirituality
Bündchen believes in astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
, manifestation, and witchcraft. According to Tom Brady, she used these methods to successfully predict when he would win or lose the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
.
Filmography
Discography
Singles
Music videos
Awards and nominations
See also
* List of Brazilians
References
External links
*
*
*
Voguepedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bundchen, Gisele
1980 births
Living people
20th-century Brazilian people
20th-century Brazilian women
Brazilian bloggers
Brazilian emigrants to the United States
Brazilian environmentalists
Brazilian female models
Brazilian health activists
Brazilian models of German descent
Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian Roman Catholics
Brazilian women activists
Brazilian women bloggers
Brazilian women environmentalists
Breastfeeding activists
Environmental bloggers
IMG Models models
People from Rio Grande do Sul
Twin models