“Rarely Did Anyone Offer Me a Glass of Water”: Gisele Bündchen Opened Up on Harsh Treatment She Faced on the Path to Becoming Highest Paid Supermodel in the World

The fashion industry is not an easy space to be in. There are a lot of girls who try to make a big name for themselves. One of those girls was Gisele Bündchen. The Brazilian native who wanted to become successful in the industry once shared how hard the backstage lives were of the models.

The supermodel is easily one of the most recognizable personalities in the world. She started her career when she was 14. Since then, she saw how the industry changed. However, in her bestselling memoir, Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life, the runway beauty detailed her experience while working as a young model.

For fourteen consecutive years, Bündchen was the highest-paid model. When she was only nineteen, she signed with the lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret. The value of the contract was $25 million. Gisele Bündchen worked 350 days a year after signing with the brand. The season was the busiest time for the Victoria’s Secret Angels.

Read more: “I Call Him My Bonus Child”: Gisele Bündchen, Who Hates the Word Step-Mom, Had an Equally Awkward Way of Describing Tom Brady’s Son With His Ex Bridget Moynahan

In a typical season, modeling for up to six shows took place in just one day before the fittings for the next day’s shows. Early morning hair and makeup appointments sometimes went until sunrise. She had to complete fits, regardless of whether she had gone to bed the previous night at two in the morning. Every morning, she arrived on time. “It really wasn’t a very glamorous scene. Only rarely did anyone offer me a glass of water, and some people felt free to be critical to my face.”

Gisele Bündchen wanted to stay clothed

In her memoir, the model talked about how much she owed her success and achievements in modeling. However, there were times when she felt particularly uncovered, and in an interview, she detailed the provision she had when she had to wear the brand’s skimpy clothes.

She wrote, “For the first five years, I felt comfortable modeling in lingerie, but as time went on, I felt less and less at ease being photographed walking the runway wearing just a bikini or a thong. Give me a tail, a cape, wings—please, anything to cover me up a little!”

Gisele talked about her growing unease with wearing tiny clothing. “I was always a person who asked, ‘Can I please cover my butt?’ In the studio I don’t mind, it’s very controlled. But if you’re on a runway, god knows. So, you’ll notice, I usually had a little skirt or cape to wear. They were always very kind and accommodating when I said I did not feel comfortable.”

Watch this story: Tom Brady Went to The Same High School As This Controversial MLB Hall of Famer Who Was Also A 14x All-Star