3 things you probably didn't know about Gisele Bündchen
Former Victoria's Secret supermodel Gisele Bündchen has been a household name in the fashion industry for years. Married to Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar Tom Brady, the couple have three kids together and now live in Tampa's illustrious 'Billionaire Bunker'.
With a networth of reportedly over $400 million, Bündchen has established herself as one of the most recognizable faces in the world. While much of her life has been an open book, we take a look at some facts you perhaps didn't know about the former supermodel.
Gisele Bündchen was a victim of bullying back in high school
Before Bündchen became the face of the biggest fashion brand in the world, she was bullied in highschool for being tall and skinny. In an interview with the New York Times, the former supermodel revealed that many would pick on her for her appearance.
Far from being the popular kid on the block, the Brazilian revealed that she was even referred to as Olive Oyl, the cartoon character Popeye's skinny girlfriend:
"Even before I got into the business, I was used to being bullied because I was always tall and skinny and stuck out... I was 5'11" at 14. It wasn't fun. Like everybody made fun of me. Every time I go in the slow dance, like nobody wanted to dance with me... It was really mean and when you are young, you feel really awkward, right. You are 14 years old. You don't need any help feeling awkward."
She is the founder of a skin-care brand to help teens with low self-esteem
Bündchen knew the troubles of being an awkward teenager all too well. Thus, back in 2010, the former supermodel launched her own line of natural skin-care products called Sejaa and had this to say to Vogue:
"I wanted to teach girls to love themselves and take care of their bodies. What is the first thing you see every morning? Your face! What do you put every day on your face? Cream! I have made the simplest, purest cream—an everyday cream—but it comes with an affirmation."
The idea behind the branding comes from Brazilian roots. Playing on the Portuguese word seja, meaning "to be", she has helped countless teenagers feel better about their appearances.
She is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations
Following her career as a supermodel, Bündchen has taken on philanthropy to help those in need. While doing so, she has also stuck to her environmentalist side and taken part in multiple programs to make the world a greener and safer space.
Supporting multiple pro-environment campaigns such as TckTckTck, Seal the Deal, and Billion Tree, the former supermodel was named as a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Environmental Programme back in 2009. For her work, she was also awarded the Global Environmental Citizen Award by Harvard Medical School.