When Gisele Bündchen first stepped onto the Victoria's Secret runway, the fashion world basically shifted on its axis. It’s hard to remember now, but before she showed up, the "heroin chic" look was everywhere. Skinny was in; health was out. Then came this Brazilian powerhouse with her "horse walk" and a tan that looked like it cost more than most people's houses. She didn't just walk; she stomped.
Honestly, the partnership between Gisele Bündchen and Victoria's Secret was the ultimate power couple of the early 2000s. It turned a lingerie catalog into a global juggernaut and made Gisele the highest-paid model in the world for fifteen years straight. But if you think it was all glitter and $15 million bras, you're only seeing the Instagram version of a pre-Instagram era. Behind the scenes, the "perfect" deal was actually kind of a mess of anxiety, tea cups, and a very famous pair of scissors.
The $25 Million Bet
In 2000, Gisele signed a five-year contract worth a reported $25 million. That was insane money back then. It still is. For Gisele, it was a double-edged sword. She was only 19. On one hand, she had total financial security—at one point, Victoria's Secret checks made up 80% of her entire income. On the other hand, the fashion "elite" used to look down on catalog work.
She took the risk anyway.
The brand leaned into her "The Body" persona hard. That same year, they put her in the Red Hot Fantasy Bra, which is still the most expensive piece of lingerie ever made according to Guinness World Records. It was worth $15 million and covered in over 1,300 gemstones, including Thai rubies. Imagine walking a runway with a small country's GDP strapped to your chest while millions of people watch. No pressure, right?
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Why Gisele Bündchen and Victoria's Secret Eventually Split
By 2006, things started feeling... off. Gisele has been pretty open in her memoir, Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life, about how her comfort levels shifted. For the first few years, she was fine with it. It was just a job. But as time went on, she started feeling less like a person and more like a collection of body parts.
She started asking for "tails, capes, wings—anything to cover me up a little."
It wasn't just the outfits. The schedule was brutal. She was flying constantly, living out of suitcases, and dealing with massive amounts of anxiety. When it came time to renew her contract in 2006, she was torn. The money was massive, but her gut was screaming "no."
The Teacup Decision
This is the part that sounds like a movie script. Instead of hiring a team of analysts, Gisele decided her future with two scraps of paper. She wrote "yes" on one and "no" on the other, scrunched them up, and dropped them into an empty teacup.
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She closed her eyes, reached in, and pulled out "no."
Basically, fate decided her exit. She didn't look back. Even when reports circulated that she left because the brand wouldn't hike her $5 million-a-year salary, Gisele’s own account points toward a much more personal, spiritual realization. She was done being the "Angel" if it meant losing her peace of mind.
The PETA Runway Ambush
You can't talk about Gisele Bündchen and Victoria's Secret without mentioning the 2002 show. It’s one of the most famous moments in fashion history. While Gisele was doing her signature walk, four PETA protesters jumped onto the stage with signs saying "Gisele: Fur Scum."
Most models would have frozen. Gisele just kept walking. She didn't even break her stride.
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But it changed her. She’s said that the shock of that moment forced her to actually look at the industries she was supporting. She wasn't even aware of the fur campaign issues at the time, but the "trauma" of that ambush led her to become the environmental activist she is today. It’s a weird butterfly effect: a lingerie show protest eventually led to her becoming a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
Life After the Wings
Since leaving the brand in 2007, Gisele didn't exactly disappear. She became the face of Chanel, launched her own flip-flop line that sold millions of pairs, and built a brand that outlasted her runway days. Even in 2023, she made a brief "return" of sorts, appearing in the Victoria's Secret "Icons" campaign, but as a veteran legend, not a contract worker.
She proved you could walk away from the biggest paycheck in the industry and still come out on top.
What You Can Learn from Gisele’s Exit
- Trust the "Body" Check: If your physical body is reacting to your job with anxiety or discomfort, pay attention. Gisele’s body told her to quit long before her brain did.
- Financial Freedom is a Tool, Not a Trap: Use the "golden handcuffs" years to build a foundation so you can eventually afford to say no.
- Control Your Image: Gisele moved from being an "image without a voice" to an activist and author. It’s okay to outgrow the version of yourself that made you famous.
If you're ever feeling stuck in a high-paying job that’s draining your soul, maybe try the teacup method. It worked for the world's most successful supermodel. Sometimes your subconscious already knows the answer; you just need a scrap of paper to confirm it.
The era of Gisele Bündchen and Victoria's Secret ended because she chose herself over the wings. In a world that tells women to stay young and stay quiet, that’s probably the most "iconic" thing she ever did.
To really understand the shift Gisele made, you should look into her work with the Luz Foundation, which she started the same year she left the brand. It was her way of pivoting from the superficial to the sustainable.